Fate, Wild
by Stardust Ray
Summary: AU: Switched at birth, the lives of Squall and Rinoa are very different, both living on opposite sides of a power struggle. A chance encounter ignites a string of wild events that will expose the truth and shatter everything. Can one really alter fate?
1. Alter

**_Yesteryear_**—

_In all of Galbadia's glorious years never has another family surpassed the house of Caraway. With a reputation of birthing the bravest and strongest boys in all the land, the Caraway family was destined to govern the nation of Galbadia and eventually came to own that leadership. For seven consecutive generations, the Caraway lineage led Galbadia in what came to be known as the "perfect law" as it remained strong and flawless. When Galbadia's seventh was of age, the people of Deling City were relieved to find that he remained true to his family's strong-willed name. Richard "Fury" Caraway had been born braver and stronger than his predecessors. His intellect was equally as sharp as his battle skills. No one dared to defy him. Only a fool found fault with this perfect government. As the general of Galbadia, his legacy spread abroad Deling City, Timber, and smaller villages in between. Those in Deling City knew of no struggles in life unless they were servants to the great Caraway; however, the same could not be said of those who lived in Timber and the small farming villages across Galbadia, their lives were meant to struggle. Rumors of this mistreatment had been kept silent for years. Those living in Deling City who had heard these rumors turned a deaf ear to them and lived life carefree dismissing them as mere deceitful rumors. They believed only the words from the lips of Caraway, as his words were the only truth in their perfect world._

_The only ones who weren't deaf and blind to those rumors were those who had lived and gave testament to these mistreatments. From the days of the fourth Caraway general, an underground congregation began to meet up in hopes of ending the Caraway family's reign as it became corrupt over the years since the first General Caraway's rule. He governed with peace and equality and found favor across all the land. They remembered his words of peace and his determination to see to it that all could benefit from the government no matter what class. Before this faction was formed, the people slowly began to realize that the first Caraway's teachings were becoming increasingly ignored and their world soon turned gray. By the time the fourth Caraway was in office, things were greatly different and there was no tolerance for the poor. A rebellion soon erupted which resulted in changes to the people's livelihood, greater consequences were given to those who disrespected the Caraway family, and they were taxed more than their income could provide. Although the laws had changed slightly for easy living in Timber, some still find it difficult to survive alone. To this day, the faction continues to meet up, but secretly. The current faction is made of up members from all across Galbadia hiding behind masks that represent the animals from the once beautiful Timber Forest that had been destroyed to make way for industrial production for Deling City's profit and comfortable living. While typically nonviolent in recent years, this group has a number of arsenals in wait for the final rebellion against Caraway; however, there are others who generally fight back against the Galbadian soldiers who may cross into their territory unauthorized. Although their diminutive attempts are nothing compared to the strength of the army, the Caraway family inwardly fear the idea of a possible threat. Because of this threat; however, they create a façade of confidence in their unshakeable leadership._

_As he grew older, Fury Caraway took a wife, a young and feeble yet beautiful woman blessed with a sweet singing voice. Julia was quite popular throughout Galbadia, and Fury boasted that she had the most beautiful voice in their land. Soon after they were wed Julia became pregnant. He believed that she would most certainly bear a son. He dreamt that his son would hearken to strength under her beautiful voice. She was happy with him and hoped to give him a healthy baby. Suddenly, in the six month of her pregnancy, they received a report of some disturbances that forced the general away on a mission with his soldiers, and it was during his extended absence that their child was born. Because of this, he had missed the birth of his child who was born prematurely in eight months. Although relieved that her baby had survived, Julia was terrified to find that she had given birth to a baby girl. Despite what her husband would think of her, she had loved her daughter and had prepared to receive punishment for bearing a girl to the general, as having a girl would speak ill of his image and he would also be deemed as weak._

_One of her trusty servants suggested a plan channeling a way to keep her baby alive. There had been another woman expecting a child, a dear servant to the Caraway house and currently away from work because of her pregnancy. She was rumored as having higher chances of birthing a boy simply because her body type had been bred for rough labor and treatment, and she appeared healthier than the general's wife. If that mother gave birth to a boy and agreed to make the switch, she would be able to keep her newborn daughter alive. Knowing that it would kill her to choose between the life of her daughter or eternal banishment from her life with the general, she decided to follow through with the servant's plan. A few months later, the other woman gave birth to her beloved son, Squall. She and her husband were thrilled with him. Soon after his birth, the new mother was approached by a mysterious duo. The odd visitors were the personal servants of the general's wife, and while they should have explained the situation in full detail in order to entice her decision, they intentionally set out to strip the couple of their baby without revealing their true identities. The young mother was shocked, and even in her weakened state had put up a great fight against the servants who were skilled in combat. On the one night her husband was not there, the worst imaginable had occurred. Because she was still in healing and weaker, the young mother was overtaken and her baby was stolen. She cried out her baby's name continuously before she was knocked unconscious, and the baby thieves fled the scene._

_Following this particular night, the young couple's home was ceased by the guards. An item of the general's wife was found in their home, an item that was believed to have been planted there by the baby thieves from before. To speak ill of the government's doing meant death, therefore the couple remained quiet. The young mother had been relieved of her duties from the general's mansion along with a banishment sentence from Deling City because of the apparent theft. Laguna, the stolen child's father had been released from the army without reason. They would fight to defend themselves, but the young mother lacked the strength to do so. A few days later, they were approached by a homeless woman claiming that her baby was a bastard child. The child was hungry, but she could not provide for her. She left them the baby's name, which was Rinoa, and disappeared without a trace soon after. Raine, the heartbroken mother of the kidnapped baby, took this new child and swore to raise her; even so, she would always remember Squall, her baby boy. The young couple had been vexed by grief and sorrow; however, they vowed to raise the little girl as their own and would never tell her any differently until she was ready to know. Raine, the boy's true mother, wondered who could have foiled such a plight against them, and she and her soldier husband suspected foul play within the Caraway household; however, suggesting that someone of such a high stature would stoop so low could definitely have meant their lives. They decided to move away to Timber and live somewhat peacefully. The general returned home soon after and found his son asleep in the crib. As his mother, he too had looked weak and feeble, but he was a boy nonetheless and he would continue to pass along his family's bloodline. This baby boy was kept silent until he appeared healthier, and was eventually proclaimed within Deling City as the new heir. Richard bestowed the gift of naming that child to his beloved wife, who decided to keep the name his true mother had given to him. Under the assumption that his parents agreed to the swap, she felt that she was honoring the boy's mother by retaining his given name. She was told that the couple left Deling City for good in case people became curious about the sex of their newborn. They never told her the truth about that night, and the general never suspected a thing._

_As the years passed, the children grew into the homes of the stranger parents. Rinoa was lively and spoke her mind freely, involving herself in matters that were wise before her time whilst Squall was silent and focused, and was more dedicated to the arts of war and combat. The two children made their parents proud in every way. Looking at his son, the general was thankful for the boy's mother, the only woman responsible for birthing such a strong boy. Finally when the boy reached the age of seventeen, the general had never realized how such a small and weak baby boy could grow into a headstrong and brave young man. Rinoa also took a strong interest in the economical affairs that neared them. Forever with an opinion, she braved her thoughts into words, and if it hadn't been for her obedience to her father and mother, would have rebelled against the government for the rights of her people. Even though Raine and Laguna loved their daughter with their hearts and souls, they remained curious about their son. The same could be said of Julia, who had become visibly sickly over the years as she could not live at true peace because of her lie. Still, life carried on as if things were as they were…that is, until fate intervened._

* * *

_**Fate Wild**_

* * *

**_Present Day_—**

In the General's Mansion, a building made of hard stone decorated in statues at its entryway where guards of all classes stood on duty, sat the general himself playing a game of chess with his son. In all their years together, his son had never beaten him once. Proud of his flawless record, the general looked upon his son and smiled, "…Squall…you're cornered. There's no possible move for you to take." He said to his son, pointing at the chessboard.

"Not yet…" Squall answered, rubbing his hand against his chin. "…There's always a way."

"…This is chess, son. We've been playing this game since you were seven…and you still haven't beaten me." The general smirked, "It may not be now, but someday Squall, you'll win."

At his words, the boy shrugged. "…Someday."

"In the meantime, I'm going to defeat you every time you challenge me," he said, picking up his Bishop piece and sliding it diagonally toward Squall's king. "…Checkmate." He said as he enclosed the helpless king into a dark space.

Squall's eyes grew red and he stood from his seat quickly. "Sir, I've lost…"

"…A general must keep his temper contained. Spill any ounce of emotion and your enemies will see through you."

"Yes, sir. I'll do well to keep all traces of weakness intact, sir," Squall stated, standing upright as a soldier in the army. "…If I may be excused?" The young man beckoned, receiving a nod from his father and he exited the room.

"…You'll make a fine general someday…" The older man whispered as he watched his son leaving the room in haste. As the boy opened the door, a sergeant burst inside.

"Sir! Urgent news! We've captured messengers of the rebels fleeing from Deling Square. Requesting permission to interrogate the prisoners, sir…" The sergeant saluted the general as he stood upright before the table where the chess game had been spread out.

"At ease…" He said to the sergeant as he rose from the table. Looking toward the doors, he saw that Squall was still inside of the room. "…Son, you were excused…"

"…Yes, sir!" The teenager said as he left the room. Closing the door, he placed an ear to the door to observe the conversation between the two men.

"…You were saying sergeant."

"Yes, sir… We've captured the rebels that were undercover down in Deling Square. They had been delivering messages to and fro about our troops. Sir, it is unclear as to whose been transferring these messages, that's why we would like your permission to continue with the interrogation sir."

"…Anyone who acts in the role of a rebel must be punished. Not only are those rats a threat to us, but to the entire kingdom. See to it that every detail is strained from our prisoner."

"Yes, sir! …And afterwards, sir?"

At this the general smirked. "…Kill him."

"Aye, sir."

"You are dismissed."

"Thank you." The sergeant saluted his superior and turned around for the door. Exiting the room, he was met with the eyes of the young master, the son of the general. "Excuse me, sir."

"Carry on." Squall said, turning about and pacing the hallway. He had been eavesdropping on his father and the sergeant all along. Lately they had been receiving report upon report of uprisings of rebels and bandits in the towns about their homeland. Apparently the people were upset with the imbalance of human rights and laws. Poverty had risen tremendously and the only ones who benefited from the new laws of the land were the troops, those who were able to afford a decent living, and tax collectors. Still, all that the young master had learned from his father's rule were only rumors. According to those living in Deling City and Galbadia, he was hailed the greatest of the Caraways, and his name, Sir Richard "Fury" Caraway would never be forgotten.

Squall only dreamed of having just a taste of what his father had accomplished. _Power is a means to whatever a man's heart desires…_: He could remember the man's saying all throughout his childhood, and that saying had been etched into his memory. The young man would train until his day would come…someday soon. His only hurdle was beating his father in a game of chess just once.

* * *

"You were smuggling these letters across our townships, weren't you?"

"I was only doing what I was told…"

"…Don't lie to me. You were caught red handed; the least you could do is admit it like a real man."

"…Please, I don't know anything!" The man screamed, "I thought it was everyday mail! I didn't know what it contained, I swear!"

"Are you telling me that you played the Good Samaritan to all those people from town to town-do you mock our kingdom? Haven't we already developed a decent mail system for you?"

"Oh yes, yes sir!"

"Then why would you go through the trouble?" The sergeant snarled, "Do you think I'm a fool to believe that you wouldn't crawl right under our noses to deliver tips for an assassination against our General? You thought I wouldn't find you? That I wouldn't eventually catch you and squeeze the very life from your bones!"

"No!"

"Then tell me who sent you! If you don't, I'll find your family and lock them away in prison forever!"

"No! Please don't take my children from me, they're all I have!"

"So, you really _are_ a family man…"

"No…"

"Then you're implying that you lied to me?"

"No, I mean, Yes…"

"Yes, you're a liar?"

"NO! I'm a family man, Yes!"

"Ah, I see….. So you have children… Listen to me rebel…I have control of the census. I can look up every single blood relative of yours and throw everyone in prison: such is the punishment for your treacherous deeds. And I don't have to stop there… I can take away everything you own, even your ability to walk. Would you like that?"

"No! Please! Do whatever you want with me, but I beg you, do not take my family! Leave them be. They had no idea I was involved! Leave them out of this, I beg you!"

"You'll tell me everything I want to know!"

"All that I know!"

"Are you lying to me?"

"No!"

"Good…and if you are, I'll sever your fingers in half so that you'll remember to always be honest when someone asks you for valuable information."

The man swallowed hard, "…I'll talk." From henceforth, their voices carried through the hollow walls.

"_Between Timber and Deling City, there's an underground faction that gathers in various places. They're very slippery and their member count is off the charts. They gather most of the time to collect money to fund certain families in need who cannot afford the monthly tax collections. Lately, the taxes have risen tremendously, making it difficult for most of those in Timber to pay… I was delivering messages from Timber to Deling City in hopes of gathering funds so that my family and others as well would be able to survive. That is all that I know…"_

"_Am I supposed to believe that?"_

"_It's the truth, I swear!" _The man cried,_ "…Sir, I've told you all that I know…please, let me go home to my family."_

"…_Hmmm…You're a rebel." _The sergeant said. Squall, listening from his place outside could hear them all along. _"Being such, you knew well what you had gotten yourself into since the very day you decided to become one. That means you understand the consequences for stepping outside of our rules."_

"_Please, no, I'll never deliver another message!"_

"…_A rebel is someone of weaker power who resists the ways of a kingdom… Killing you won't make that much of a difference, but then keeping you alive means that one more of you vermin is still around to mess up our ways of life…"_

"_Sir….I beg you…The mistake was mine alone, please do not harm my family. They are innocent."_

"…_Spoken like a true man."_

The sound of a gunshot resonated through the walls and silence followed thereafter.

Finally the soldier's voice returned, _"Call someone to come and clean this up!"_

Squall swallowed his breath hard and lowered his weapon to the ground.

After hearing the death of the rebel, he found himself troubled all afternoon, pacing the floors of his room as the words of the rebel played out continuously in his mind. Could the man have been telling the truth? Were people being punished for the sake of trying to survive? Nonsense, his father was a just man…he only did evil to those who deserved it, right? It was the way things were and had always been. How could a man of his stature, with so much respect and discipline allow the very people under his rule to starve, and then kill them for trying to take the crumbs which had fallen from the table?

The young man was bemused, his mind travelling miles at a second. "…It can't be true, can it?" He whispered. "But…that man was a rebel…it's what he deserved."

_It's what he deserved?_ He questioned his own thinking._ He was trying to get funding for his family's needs. _Squall shook his head at his own words, "…Something's not right…I have to know what's going on. He'll tell me if I ask," and he paced to his bedroom doors. Upon exiting his quarters and marching down the hallway, he heard soft footsteps making way toward him.

"Squall…" The woman's voice was soft, yet it bellowed through the hallway like that of a ballroom singer's voice.

"Mom..." He said, slowing his pace until he could make out her figure in the dark hallway. Gathering at an area that was dimly lighted from the rest of the hallway, she touched her fingers to his face.

"My, you are a handsome boy."

"_Mom_…" He blushed, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"Why do you always look at the floor whenever I tell you that, Squall? It's as if you're afraid of compliments."

The young man remained quiet as he lifted his eyes toward her. His mysterious blue eyes were definitely traits from his original family. She had remembered explaining to her husband that Squall had inherited the eyes of his grandmother, which was a lie, since her grandmother whom she barely knew had the same chocolate brown as herself.

"When someone compliments you, you're supposed to thank them," she assured him with a smile.

"…Oh," He muttered. "…Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." She grinned, easing her hand away from his face. "Now, where are you off to at this hour?"

"… I need to speak with father…I'm troubled."

"…Dear, I'm afraid your father's already asleep. He's had a long week, you know. You better let him rest right now."

"But—

"No buts…I'm sure whatever it is that's on your mind can wait till the morning." She grinned, "Besides, you wouldn't want to get scolded for waking him up from a deep sleep again, would you?"

"…No ma'am." He said, remembering a time when he was younger and had been afraid of a dark shadow in his room. He soon learned that seeing his father's head aflame was more terrifying than any shadow that ever dared to enter his chambers. From that night onward, he realized that shadows were nonexistent in the real world and lived only in his nightmarish imagination.

"Good then. C'mon dear. You've been with your father all day long…why not keep your mother company too?"

He smiled, "Why not?"

As they walked back to his room, Julia Caraway turned to him and grinned, "So, what's on your mind Squall?"

"…It's nothing."

"…When did you start lying to your mother?"

"I'm sorry mom, but it has to do with our country's policies."

"Squall, you'd do better to not bring those up at all."

"…And why not? I should have the right to know; after all, I'm to take his place someday, right?"

"Yes, that's true darling." She frowned, "…But there are things going on that your father wishes to not have you involved in. In time, my son, you'll understand."

"…Do you know what's going on?"

"…Well," she sighed, "…It's a long and painful story, Squall…I'd rather not bore you to tears."

"You should know by now, I have the patience to endure...with added effort."

She smirked and folded her arms, "...I suppose _I_ gave you that sarcasm. If it were up to your father, you'd be as dull as a bat."

The mother and son both chuckled. Finally, Julia turned to her son and smiled, "…All I know is that your father has been receiving threats on his status as general from a rebel group all across the kingdom. He doesn't want you involved in any of it Squall. He wants to protect you by all means. You are to carry on his legacy; therefore, your life is to be guarded at all costs. And that's all, dear."

"…" The young man frowned and sighed inwardly.

"…Look, I know how frustrating it feels to not be included in something major, but believe me…it's not worth it, Squall." She touched his cheek and smiled, "Sweetheart, I'll have a talk with your father tomorrow morning just before breakfast… I agree with you…you're coming of age now. You're old enough to be included in these matters." She grinned, "You're courageous and strong…just like your father."

"…Thank you, mom." He smiled and planted a kiss on his mother's cheek.

"You're very welcome, my dear."

* * *

"These houses too!"

"All of them sir?"

"Yes, we're to rid all those suspected of having fellowship with the rebels. We're to burn their houses to the ground in order to draw the rebels from their hideaways!"

"Hah, hopefully they rush out like moths to a flame!" One soldier laughed as he tossed a torch through the window of an old cabin home in a small village near Deling City. Events such as this occurred throughout the Kingdom of Galbadia and stories of such reached the streets of Timber, a town that was miles away from the capital.

"This is horrible! I've never seen anything like it before!" A girl said, reading from a news article in the local paper.

"Honey, put that paper down, it's bad for your health." An older woman said, wiping her dinner table down with a wet rag.

"I'm sorry Mom, I can't help it. I don't like hearing about people losing their lives and homes to the government."

"…Me either and the best way not to is to not read that type of trash."

"Hey, hey, Raine, it's not trash. It's educational!" A man yelled across the room, his voice was intentionally nonthreatening.

"Laguna, I know we need to be aware of what's happening around us and we need to be prepared for anything too, but I can't take hearing another story about something that happened in some town far away from us. Please, the violence is _away _from us, it's sad, but it's also not _us._ We should count our blessings."

"I know: Learn from the mistakes of others so that it won't happen to us. Yes, I know! But Rinoa needs to be enlightened about the world that we live in today so that she can make better choices for herself tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Rinoa agreed.

"_You_ stay out of this!" Raine said, flashing a glare at the girl who gasped and looked away, and then turning to her husband to continue, "Rinoa is already a smart girl, and she can make good choices right now if she needed too; however, I don't want her to get used to hearing about these other incidents….otherwise, she'll grow to despise the government and will find trouble with every law in the book."

"Raine, are you saying that I'm turning our daughter into a rebel?"

"Nonsense, I would never even think to say a thing like that!"

"Well you just did!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Laguna, stop fooling around, we were talking about something very serious now, so cut it out!"

"No, I have to scratch my back! Aaah!" He yelped, sprawling out over the couch to reach the areas of his back that his hand had failed to reach. "Mmmmmm!"

"Stop that!" Raine yelled, running toward him with her wet rag drawn. "You'll leave that mark in my couch, now get off of it! I just dusted it this morning!"

"Noooo!" Laguna snarled being removed from the couch, hissing and clinging to it like a rabid beast. Rinoa laughed into her hands and covered her eyes. It was always funny and scary watching her father throw silly tantrums at her mother.

"You're behaving like a two year old!" Raine yelled, trying to pull her wet rag away from his tight grip.

"Am not, I'm a grown Ad-ult!" He said, reaching up to grab her shoulders. Finally the woman laughed and wrestled against her husband. Their laughter relieved Rinoa, she was beginning to wonder if she'd need to call in help to separate the two of them.

"Well, this rebel's leaving now. I'll be back before supper!" Rinoa called out, heading towards the front door.

"Yeah, be sure to dodge the soldiers! They're everywhere!"

"Rinoa! Laguna! You two stop that right now!"

"Run Rinoa Run!" Laguna shouted, covering Raines mouth while the girl ran for the door and scampered off outside. As she left the house, Raine uncovered Laguna's hand from her mouth and lifted an eyebrow. He laughed shakily, "…Don't they just grow up so fast?"

"…Yeah, I wish I could say the same about you."

He sighed, "But you still love me, right?"

"Laguna!" She rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder with the wet rag.

"Ow! Hey!" He rubbed his hand onto his wounded shoulder. "I'm gonna need this shoulder later."

Raine's face and voice suddenly took on a more serious tone. "I don't want you filling her head with too many ideas… Don't you know what they're doing to the rebels? Didn't you read that paper?"

"…Of course I did," At her tone, Laguna also became serious. "…but Rinoa's a fighter. Even if I hide the paper, she'll find out from her friends and who's to say what would happen after that."

"Don't you talk like that," She snapped. "…I don't want to lose her too."

"Raine…" Laguna sighed and pulled her closely.

"Hey Rinoa! Did you see the paper!" A tall brunet yelled as he met with the girl in the center of Timber Square.

"Yeah, I think it's a message for all the Faction followers."

"Yep, that message rings loud and clear. Anyone stupid enough to take the oath with them either winds up homeless or dead," He said. "…We're living in scary times."

"…_Scary times_ huh?" She frowned. "….Well _I'm_ not afraid."

"Rinoa, are you _crazy_?" He whispered, moving in closer to her, "If the guards around here heard you talking like that, you'd be imprisoned _immediately_."

"So? How long do we have to pretend like nothing's the matter? People are dying out there. Someone's got to stop this!"

The boy snatched her arm, "Don't tell me you want to play hero."

"_Zone!_" She said, shaking his hold off of her, "What if I am? No one else seems to care!"

"Rinoa, we do care! We're just not that social about it," He replied with a cheesy grin.

"…What do you mean 'we'?"

"I mean…those who are _stupid enough_ to take up the oath…"

She gasped, "Are you saying?"

"Shhh… C'mon! Let's go grab some dessert, Watts is there with more info about the article in the paper!"

He grabbed her hand and guided her down to the pub. There were soldiers gathered at the entrance, apparently exiting the pub after a midday picker-upper drink. Inside, seated in the non smoking section was a short, mildly chubby teenager wearing a blue cap. His nose was inside of the newspaper much like how Zone had left him there time ago. There was a saucer before him smeared with streaks of a pink paste, remnants of cherry pie.

"_Waaattts?_ Don't you do anything else besides _read_?"

"Reading is good for you, sir. You should do it more often!"

"Hey Watts!" Rinoa smiled, always enjoying Zone's company more when Watts was around to stir things up.

"Rinoa, Hi! –Didn't know you were standing there!" He said, placing the paper down to get a glimpse of her only to have the comics section of the paper fall from his current reading stash. He glanced down at the fallen paper and sighed in defeat.

Zone grinned, "…Reading is good for you, eh? Depends on what you're reading, and I doubt you could learn something from a cat that sleeps and eats lasagna all the time."

"Listen, you can learn from whatever you read, and for your information, that cat happens to know how to live a comfortable life even in bad times, sir…"

"Isn't he the one with the rotten attitude and cusses like a sailor?" Rinoa cut in, "I don't think that's a good example."

"No Rinoa, he means the one that picks on the poor defenseless ditzy dog of the house," Zone cackled, and then stopped laughing for a mere second as if relating that characteristic to their friendship. "Wait."

"Oh where are your imaginations, sirs?" Watts defended his hidden reading pleasure.

"I'm not a _sir!_" Rinoa argued.

"Well in the military, it's a form of respect, sir ma'am sir!"

"_Watts!_" Rinoa huffed.

"Relax, I'm just kidding, sirrRinoa—"He silenced himself momentarily. "…Sorry, bad habit."

"Right…" Rinoa answered, unconvinced. "So…I hear you've taken an oath?"

"Zone! You know that's top notch info! You're gonna get it big time, sir!"

"Nah, not unless _you_ tell…"

Watts sighed, "We're hopeless, sir."

"…So Watts, about the article in the paper this morning?" Both of the boys were relieved when she swiftly changed the subject.

"…Yeah." He said, grabbing his cup from beside him and taking a sip. He leaned in from his seat at the table and whispered slowly, "…I heard they captured a small time faction messenger in the wilderness off the outskirts of Deling City. They tortured the guy until he confessed the whereabouts of the faction. The thing is, he only told them what he knew-which wasn't very much, thankfully… Most of the information they got out of him only pertained to those in that area. So far, the troops know of the usual faction activities both here and in Deling City… The only thing that disturbs me though, is how quickly they retaliated and burned those villages to the ground."

"It's horrible." Rinoa said, folding her arms at the table. "…I wish I could do something about it."

"…In time, we'll all stand together and fight, but for right now, we need to lay low and gather any activity the troops are up to," Zone said, "Right now, Watts and I are investigating those four troops we just saw leaving."

"Yeah, but they don't seem to be up to anything much really, sir" Watts cut in. "Just the usual. Or they're doing the very same thing that we're doing now… Surveying everyone in the area and submitting possible rebels to their superiors."

"…That's scary," Rinoa whispered.

"Don't worry, Rin! We'll look out for ya!" Zone said, pushing closer to Rinoa who frowned and pushed him back to his original place on the bench. Watts grinned while picking up his mug from the table again. He knew Rinoa had never been fond of Zone's passes at her.

"So, do you guys know of any other members?"

"Not really, no… Everything's based on secrecy. We're not supposed to know each other, that way it looks less suspicious when we're out on the streets. We remain strangers just as we're strangers in everyday life."

"I see," she said. "…Hmm…I think I want to join."

"Rinoa, it's a very serious oath. You can't take back belonging to something like this," Zone pleaded.

"How could I renounce something so important to me?"

"Yeah, but if your parents knew, they'd kill you, sir," Watts chuckled.

"Watts…Better _they_ kill me than that Caraway scum," She laughed and tossed the comics section across the table to Watts, as if hitting him with the paper.

* * *

Squall took a deep breath. The morning hours had passed by sluggishly. Would his mother ever break through the tough barrier surrounding the general's heart? Hearing the couple exchanging words in their private lunchroom at breakfast had sent the boy's nerves to a tantrum. There he stood, folding his arms until all the jitters could be blocked with a tight self-embrace, and finally his mother emerged from the room, her face spotted with red stress marks.

"Mom…" He was surprised at her appearance. Their voices didn't seem to be anywhere remotely as stressful as that which was expressed upon her face.

"No Squall, now is not a good time to enter. Please, let him cool down first, then you must never make mention of what we talked about or about what had troubled you before. It's best if you let it go now."

"Mother…"

"_Now_!" She yelled, placing her hands at her hips until she made a weak cough. She covered her mouth and looked away from her son.

"Are you alright?" He asked, touching her shoulder, "You don't look so well."

"I am fine…just had a bit of a bout with your father." She said and her voice continued in a whisper, "That man is as stubborn as an ox. Promise me you won't bring it up with him, Squall?"

Squall smirked, "…Okay…I promise."

"Good…now could you kindly escort a lady to her quarters?"

"Yes ma'am." He muttered, taking her arm and leading the way.

As they left the hall, soldiers emerged through the house and entered Caraway's lunchroom. "Sir, sorry to intrude on your brunch, but things have gotten a little complicated out in the outskirts of Deling City."

"I'm listening."

"Some troops found difficulty with a few of the villagers and farmers, apparently, there were a few farmers housing explosives sir. I've sent out backup to the area as we speak sir. At the same time, there could be more farmers doing the same in other places as well."

"…Yes, I know. All right, good work soldier. Continue to fight the rebels at that town and then check every village on the outskirts. I'm sure the scoundrels are blending in and hiding amongst the townfolk. Put up a reward sign for rebel identities and be sure to pay those who hand over our rebels plentifully… It seems the people are in dire need of money, so they'll do whatever they must to obtain it. In the meantime, this will flush them out of Deling City and hopefully draw rebels within Timber from the shadows as well." He turned away from his soldiers, "…I hope to capture every last one of them, and I won't tolerate another report like this one, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir. No more disappointments sir! We'll get the job done!"

"Good, now go and deliver my orders to your men."

"Yes, sir!"

As the men exited, Caraway sighed, "…It seems these people wish to wage war with me…and I'm forced to give them exactly that."

"A promise is a promise…" Squall said, looking upon his gunblade from across the room. It was removed from its case, completely put together in one piece, loaded and ready to go. _I won't get anywhere by just staying here… I have to somehow find out what's going on out there._

Just as the teenager began concocting some plan of escape, the doors to his chambers opened immediately. Squall stood upright as his father made his way in the room. The young man saluted his father.

"…Squall, at ease."

"Sir," he said, dropping his hand from his face and relaxing his hands at his sides. The general smiled tranquilly.

"…Your eighteenth birthday is near, is it not?"

"Yes, sir."

"…Your mother and I had a chat today and something came up," he said, turning away from Squall, "…You want to know what's going on?"

Squall hesitated to answer fearing it was a trick question.

"You may answer truthfully Squall."

"…Yes sir. I…heard about the rebels in Deling City and Timber…and about how the people are scrounging for food. I want to think those are lies, but—"

"They _are_ lies, lies from the _enemy_. Do not take the words from the enemy to heart, for they only wish to throw your focus. Have I taught you nothing? When have you begun to think so weakly?"

"It was just a thought…"

"Weak thoughts are the beginning of a weak mind and heart. They pull these blindfolds over your eyes and already you're lost," Caraway groaned. "…Your mother was right. Shielding you will only make you weaker…" The older man paused for a moment. "I guess I'll have to do better." He looked at Squall again. "…After your eighteenth birthday, I may decide to give you your first assignment outside of Deling."

"…Dad-I mean Sir!"

"I'm glad you want answers son, but I do want you to know that the enemy is after my very life. It's something I'd rather not have you mixed up in."

"I won't fail you, sir. You're my father. Anyone who threatens you threatens me also and is an enemy of mine; therefore they need to be destroyed. I want to get out there to fight for the pride of Galbadia and for our family. I want to end these rumors. Sir, I want to live up to and bring honor to our name!"

"Squall…"

* * *

_Note Paper:_

* * *

_Hello! How's everyone doing? Here we are, starting a new story again! Why am I doing this again? Actually, this is one of 3 stories I'm working on and I'm infatuated by their storylines so I'm working really hard on them. It's good to have more than one story to work on, that way when I'm ready to return to one, I'll be powered up to just knock it out quickly. I don't plan on having long chapters for this story, mostly between 4000-5000 words per chapter. You don't mind a long intro, do you? I hope not! (This note is just helpless, isn't it? Hah…) You should've expected this from me, as whacky as I am… Oh, and I'm thinking of changing my pen name again…if you've visited my Youtube account, then that guess shouldn't be too hard for you, right?(If not, it's PuftPrin) I like it because it's original, but it almost makes me look like a fluff author, which I'm not. Hehe… I'm not as strict on myself as I used to be, so I don't expect things to be perfect, but legible. I'm relaxed now. This is only the beginning….what else can I say but that I hope you're willing to check out the rest of this story. Thanks for checking it out! Have a good one from me, _

_StardustRay (I'm being forced to use those bars throughout my story because it doesn't like my little dividers...which is so fake. What a headache, right? Bear with me.)_


	2. The Circus Underground

_**Fate Wild**_

_Chapter II: The Circus Underground_

A few days later, Squall celebrated his eighteenth birthday with his family as well as the superiors of Galbadia, men whom Squall had known and loved throughout his childhood. He respected each and every part of the body of Galbadia and had found his rightful place in his world as a soldier in the army.

In the midst of the lively ballroom, Squall lost himself in the crowd. He had always been shy at large gatherings and often hid himself in the backs of the rooms that were out of sight to all. Tonight was no different though. All of the familiar faces and people he hadn't seen in years; everyone had gathered to celebrate his birthday yet he felt that he didn't belong there, that it was not his birthday, that the party did not belong to him at all. Somehow he knew something was wrong.

"…Now, now, is that anyway the birthday boy should look on his very own birthday?" He heard his mother's sweet voice amid all the other noises in the room. Her voice had merged with the sound of the sweet symphony harmonizing in the background.

"Mom…" she startled him. He turned around to find his mother in all her beauty, outfitted in a red and slim ballroom gown that complimented her hourglass figure perfectly. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he answered. Although happy about his mother and her appearance, his eyes and voice remained saddened.

"Squall, please cheer up sweetie. You should be happy that your father went out of his way to have such a grand party for you tonight."

"…It's not the party mom. I'm grateful…I just…"

"…What's troubling you?" She asked, bringing her gloved hand to his cheek.

"…It's nothing, I'm fine," he lied, turning his eyes away from her.

"…Well if everything is completely fine, why don't you escort me to the dance floor?" she asked him, sliding her hands down to his.

"Dance?"

"You guessed it, now let's go," she said, leading him to the floor. At first he was embarrassed about being there, but when he looked into his mother's eyes, he instantly felt secure. "Squall, you're a soldier…have pride in yourself, be confident and you'll never fail. Just like you take your battles seriously, take this dance seriously… Concentrate on me," she said, starting the dance and then allowing him to lead. He watched her footing closely and soon caught on to her rhythm, as well as the rhythm of the orchestra behind them. Soon after, the young man had lost himself in his dance with his mother and before they knew it, everyone had stopped dancing around them to watch as they came to a close.

At the end of the song, the other couples had cheered and applauded the mother and son team. The young brunet swallowed his breath nervously and was led by his mother to take a bow.

"Splendid Squall, absolutely splendid," she whispered, as she rose and turned to him. "One more?"

"Sure" he said. As if on cue, the orchestra began a slower number and everyone on the dance floor fell to a slower tempo.

Mrs. Caraway rocked side to side. "…You know Squall…your father has a big surprise for you tonight. Apparently, it's a surprise to us all…"

"You mean he hasn't told _you_?" Squall had asked out of disbelief. He, unlike Julia, had already known of his "surprise" present; however, if she hadn't known then he would pretend to be dumbfounded as well.

"That's correct. I guess your father's caught on to our secrecy after all these years…when you _somehow _found out about the surprise gift for your tenth birthday party."

"…Perhaps," the young man said.

"Oh well. I'm sure it's something you'll love." She smiled, "…Squall…do you know how much I love you?"

"I know," he answered. "…You don't have to say anything."

"But I want to!" She said, stopping suddenly, "What is it with you two and those words?"

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

"Hear me now!" The general said into a microphone as he stood before the orchestra, a glass of bitter champagne in his hand. Hearing his words, the dance was broken up. Julia immediately released her son as he turned his attention to his father at the microphone. "…We're here tonight to celebrate my son's eighteenth birthday. Squall, you've proven your worth to me, son. I know you're strong enough to carry the family legacy-after all, it's in your blood."

At his words, Julia became uncomfortable.

"Squall, for your birthday, I'm going to give you something you can't refuse," he said into the microphone. Squall had looked back at his mother, who grabbed his arm and squeezed it tightly. She smiled and motioned her head toward his father. "Tonight I'll you give you your first set of orders as _Commander_ of the Galbadian Army."

Julia lost her smile immediately, but Squall sighed in relief at the confirmation. Finally, he was _finally_ going to be able to prove himself to his father.

Julia was displeased and faked a smile as she ushered her son toward his father. Making his way toward the General, Squall extended his hand and shook hands with his father before being pulled into an embraced.

"I'm proud of you Squall. Happy birthday, son" he whispered into Squall's ear.

After the party, Squall met with the general in his office to receive the details of his order.

"I want you to lead a group of soldiers into the current battle on the outskirts of our city. Be sure that every one of the rebels is destroyed and if there are survivors who are able and willing to talk, bring them in for questioning. If you manage to lead the men well, Squall, you'll be on your way to taking my place sooner. That is all."

"Thank you sir."

"Squall, you're my son. I want you to be careful. Think before you act, it's vital to your survival, and don't make any unnecessary moves."

"I'll be careful."

"Good. You'll leave at the first light tomorrow for the campground stationed outside of Deling with fifty men. The soldiers already stationed there will accompany you as you battle the rebels whom I have heard has grown to well over forty men. Once these threats have been vanquished, return here with the first wave of troops who are now posted at the grounds. The men you arrive with will be their relievers. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, you are dismissed."

With a strong salute to the general, Squall had turned away from the man's desk and exited, now a fully fledged galbadian officer.

By the next morning, Squall had begun to travel with the other soldiers to the outskirts of Deling to meet the other troops stationed at the campground as per orders. Squall split the fifty men into five galbadian fighter trucks, ten soldiers to every car. The men sat across from one another on either side of the vehicle. Being their commanding officer, his vehicle was marked with a special flag and led them across the rough plains up the road toward the campgrounds far out from Deling City.

"How much longer..?" One of the others soldiers whispered into the quiet truck uncomfortably. No one felt that they could talk in his presence, not that he minded them. He was not the type to converse with anyone aside from those he trained with, his superiors, and his immediate family; that is of course, unless he was giving them orders.

"We're halfway there, give it about thirty minutes till then," another soldier answered in the same whispered voice.

"Sure is a nice day," some other soul braved the silence.

"Wish we didn't have to go into battle so soon," the guy seated beside him spat, elbowing his arm in agreement.

Squall sat with his back against the wall, eyes closed, and arms folded. One could easily mistake him for being angry, but he was quietly in his own world of thoughts, focusing his mind on his current objective. There was no time to be distracted with idle chatter, especially when someone had the gull to speak of delaying an important battle. It was a coward's choice of words.

"Concentrate on the mission, we're almost there," he said finally, and immediately ended all the random chattering.

Nearly forty minutes later, the group of trucks reached the campground and was greeted by the top officers. The campground was planted upon a grassy field. If it weren't for the scattered weaponry stations around, it could've passed for a family outing event. Squall climbed out with the other soldiers and watched as the trucks behind had followed in as well.

"Sir, the reliefs are here!" a private called out to his commanding officer as they were walking toward Squall who immediately recognized because of the weapon equipped at his side.

"I can see that, Fibbs." The top officer said, with his eyes still fixated on Squall. "I am Lieutenant Martine, leading my men to a victory against the rebel army sir," Martine said, extending his hand as he stood at Squall's front. Squall returned the gesture.

"I'm-"

"No need, I already know you're the general's son. It's an honor to serve with you, sir. I hear you're quite the gunblade specialist," he spoke, saluting the young man of higher ranks even though he had never set foot into the soil outside of Galbadia; however, rumor of his skills labeled him as being one who was by far the best in class. "Fibbs, show these men where they can put their things. We've already set up the spare tents so your men can rest."

"These men are your reliefs," Squall motioned his hand behind him to his fleet. "When our mission is complete, I'll take your old platoon back to Deling City."

"Indeed," Martine said, motioning for Fibbs to take his order while Squall turned to the other soldiers and dismissed them. When the men took their charge, he faced Martine with a stern look and cleared his throat.

"I'd like to know where we stand in this fight. What is your strategy?"

"Yes, right this way commander," Martine ushered him ahead. Squall followed him through the campgrounds until they reached a tall tent at its center. Stepping inside the green tent, he found a table in the middle with an area map covered in scribbles of X's and circles. It mapped out the campground's location and possible hiding places of the rebels they had been fighting.

"We are here," the lieutenant said, pointing an index finger to the circled area. "Lately, my scouts have noticed suspicious activity from three villages near Deling. There's another town a little ways from these three villages that has also played a role in these suspicious activities. They are the sole providers of information. We've engaged in several battles up to this point, and in each battle we've noticed an increase in the enemy's men as well as supplies. From these occurrences we've concluded that they are being supplied from yet another source that we have yet to confirm at this time. We have reason to believe these fighters are definite correspondents of Timber and its surrounding villages. As you and all of Deling already know, we are now preparing to take charge against these rebels this time to end their attacks against Galbadia as a whole. With your men supply, we are confident in our victory against them. I was careful to have the men destroy our targets with as little weaponry as possible to be certain we wouldn't run short of supplies. I'd hate to have to ask the general for anymore."

"Good, I understand."

"Here's my plan: Tomorrow we are planning a sneak attack. I believe that if we set fire to the enemy's camp, it'll destroy the entire first wave of fighters who reside. Immediately after their main base is destroyed, the other rebels will come out from their hiding places and charge directly for us. At that time, we'll release the cannons onto their troops and penetrate deep into their territory. With the hostile rebels out of the way, we could easily ply through the remaining men and end this battle once and for all. It's a flawless plan that will surely lead us to victory."

"Yes, it's a good plan, but it still has its flaws. For example, if we charge through at once, we'll all stand out like a sore thumb. I've heard reports that the enemy's weapons have been improving lately. With such a large target, we would easily be defeated."

"Excellent Squall, you're the general's son after all. In reality, the previous plan would never work. The enemies we're facing carry heavy firearms and have tunnels underground that could lead to any soldier's death should they fall inside. We've got to watch for landmines and other explosives as well. They've got bombs set up in various places too. Because we've been battling them for a while, they know about this base, but I'm not certain they know our exact location. It won't be long until they've found this campground," he moved in closely to Squall. "I'm beginning to suspect that there is an informant among us. We failed a couple of our previous battles due to some tip off. My sneak attacks were sabotaged. The enemy knew of our strike beforehand. When I realized there was a spy, I sent for backup from Deling as soon as possible. I am honored that the general has dispatched his very own son. We've faced more tragedies than victories here, and I'm glad to see we've finally got help. This will surely be a victory that Galbadia will proudly remember."

"Yes, it will."

From that point on, the commander and lieutenant revised the plans until they both found satisfactory with it. Afterwards, he found that the lieutenant had some previous experience battling beside his father, and after a few more stories, it was off to sleep for all the men of the camp.

Squall, however, found that he couldn't sleep. He rose from his bed and got dressed in his regular clothing, taking along his gunblade and sheathing it to his side, and then left his camp tent behind. Everything had happened so fast.

Just two days ago he was standing in his room trying to figure out a way to get outside and see the world for himself, and now he was here— standing as a commander and about to face just a fragment of the rebel army. He had been trained to be a fit soldier, and a killing machine if necessary, but he wondered if he was ready for the upcoming battle.

The air was crisp and tranquil. He figured it was a nice night to be out and to take advantage of the solitude. He put the camp behind him and then came across a clear pond in the middle of the grassy plain. From the surface of that pond, he saw the reflection of the sky but found that it was too dark to see his own image. By then he realized the sky had claimed most of this pond's attention and there was no question as to why. Looking up at the sky he noticed how intense it was, being lit up by the heavens. The greatest star of the night flaunted her full bosom in its true glory, stealing all the attention away from the other stars that tried their best to outshine her but to no avail. Squall had never seen the moon so large and bright as he did on this particular night. All at once the night insects were out and about with a resonance of alien-like chatter. Even with their added melodies it was quite peaceful, contrary to his thoughts within.

Squall realized he had never seen the sky so clear, so brilliant. All the lights and the pollution of the city choked up this scenery. If there was one thing he could take back with him to share with his mother, it was the view of this night sky. He was finally able to sustain a faint smile. Perhaps that was all that was the matter, why he took the walk in the first place. He had just needed to get his mind under control, talk himself into victory for the future battles; however, he was struggling to accept the realization that his father had actually entrusted him with him such a task. It was with great respect that he accepted his orders for both he and his father. It showed just how much faith the man had had in him to trust him with such a great deed. Squall would honor it and return home with his victorious tale.

At this thought, the brunet smiled.

"IT'S THE ENEMY!" one his fellow soldiers yelled from within camp, others marched out on cue to attack the intruders who were darkly clothed and carrying rifles and swords. They charged through, a group of men, and into Squall's sight. He drew his gunblade and charged into the fray. He saw the enemies wearing strange looking masks over their faces and heads. The masks depicted vicious animals such as bears, tigers, and snakes.

Squall's eyes met with his troops as he gave his command, "Attack!"Gunfire broke out across the camp. The night sky was soon challenged with manmade light coming from the earth. There was crossfire between the rebels and the Galbadian soldiers. He and most of his men lacked the proper armor for this battle, it was a bad move, he thought, but there was no time to focus on flaws. He was pleased to see some of his men run in to be suited and returned ready to defend.

Aside from the constant crossfire, the light from the full moon was the only light that shone now. Some of the rebels took it upon themselves to put out the flames of the individual fire stakes that were hung at each of the tents, channeling them completely useless now. The most the Galbadian soldiers saw of the rebels were their masks and shadows. The rebel troops fought brilliantly, as if having experience before, as if having expected the new soldier's arrival. Still, Squall went through, striking at them to the best of his might and as fast as he could. He had decided to make his way back into camp to locate Martine who had apparently vanished from the grounds.

In nothing more than the moonlight, it was hard to distinguish friend from foe. Two of the rebels charged his way, one firing a rifle but just missing the young commander as he dropped down out of the targeting range. The other man flung a dagger at him, but Squall quickly rolled to his left, rising to his feet and running forward readying his trigger finger and sliding through them with a whirl slash. This move struck both men and left them bleeding to death on the cold grass.

Squall continued until reaching the heart of the campground. He couldn't hear the lieutenant's voice anywhere. Assuming the worse, he decided that it was up to him to lead their troops to victory. He noticed that his men were forcibly pushing the rebels back into the wilderness and driving them off the campgrounds. The brunet grinned at their progress and joined them in their victorious struggle.

"Keep going!" He commanded, yelling to the stragglers who were chasing after the main platoon as they ran the rebels off their ground.

"Commander, they've got nowhere else to go! We can finish them off right now!" A soldier who had been on the frontline had returned to him to speak of the good news.

"Good, but what about the lieutenant?" Squall asked him, gripping the handle of his gunblade and lowering at his side. "Has anyone come across him yet?"

"No sir, but we believe he's up ahead as he was among the first to respond to this attack. Should we continue to assist him sir?"

"Yes. Continue with the extermination. This will all be finished soon," the young man took a deep breath and stared ahead as the remaining troops the battle. The other soldier saluted him and ran ahead, leaving Squall to follow after him and deep into the enemy's territory where they found more Galbadian troops fighting the rebels.

Gunfire poured in, forcing him to dive to the ground for cover. He should've suited up, but there was no time. While on the ground, he had a moment to study the area around. The rebels had a row of gun wielders standing together and taking aim at his troops. Those who charged into battle foolishly were shot almost instantly. He could not stand to remain hiding while his men died by bullets alone. Squall stood to his feet, bent on making a difference in this battle.

He rose and gave his command to halt the direct attack. He had his gunmen aim for the heads of all the other shooters across the plains, and told them to keep firing until each of the gunmen was dead. With the gunmen picked off, his ground troops took charge and went after those carrying swords and lesser weapons while his shooters remained in the back firing upon those who tried to retreat to call for help.

Finally, Galbadia showed signs of victory. He knew that there was no time to relax though, for the moment one's mind went at ease, something of the worse occurred right then and there. He decided to charge deeper into the enemy's ground, leaving his troops to continue to exterminate the rebel army.

And he ran, gunblade gripped in his right hand and flung across his back. At the end of the wide open plains, the field interceded with a forest. He witnessed some of the rebels running into it before the rest of his men could catch them. They were signaling one another with silent language and animal calls. _Did the lieutenant go this way? …Is he in danger?_

As Squall reached the forest area, he met up with other troops who had been scattered and asked about Martine, but they mentioned losing sight of him after this point. Squall decided to go inside to find him. He had those troops continue to secure the perimeter and capture the straggling rebels for later interrogations at the camp. Because Squall had been rumored a great swordsmen and was the son of Fury Caraway, no one dared to think little of him or ask if he needed their assistance. Besides, Squall knew he could handle the situation on his own anyway.

He charged through the dark forest with nothing but the silent muffles and fading footsteps trembling ahead of him.

The rebels ran through first, communicating with various techniques from animal sounds to tree shuffles. He knew he was close, and he was certain they knew he was following them. How far could Martine have gone on his own? He hoped the lieutenant was fine. Finally, Squall reached a break in the forest. At its center there was an area void of trees. The ground was completely consumed by tree roots and puddles of swampy water eluded the broken plain. It was quiet, much too quiet. He felt eyes upon him. Perhaps it was a bit too dangerous to travel alone.

Squall looked around slowly and took a step backward.

A glimmer from across the waterway caught his eye. Upon closer observation, he realized it was a body. Squall immediately went forward to see a masked man breathing softly, possibly injured. He saw that the man was wearing a Galbadian uniform and was clutching a rifle in his hand. The mask appeared to be a reflection of an animal, a rodent probably. Squall took a knee in the muddy ground beside him, startling him at once, but he stretched his hands out and touched his head. "It's alright, you're not in danger."

"Commander," it was Martine's voice from beneath the mask. Squall gasped immediately. What were the rebels trying to prove by this act? He immediately removed the mask from Martine's face and looked down into the man's eyes.

"What happened to you?"

"They were everywhere…"

"You should've waited for the rest of us. That was a bad move."

"…" Martine closed his eyes slowly. At this, Squall gasped and pressed his fingers to the lieutenant's neck to find a faint pulse. His heart was still beating, but barely. He needed medical attention immediately.

"Don't worry, sir, I'll get help."

Then without warning, there was a sudden snap behind him. It was the sting from the butt of a pistol cracking down at the back of his head. He reached his hand to touch his neck, but was struck once more. Before he could register any of that pain, he was out like a light. His vision failed him and he lost consciousness with someone's voice fading out around him, "I'm sorry it has to be this way. You need to hear the truth from them."

* * *

It was close to midnight. The house was dark and quiet. Rinoa was sure her parents had finally drifted off to sleep. They bought her story about her being too tired to do anything after hanging out with her friends all afternoon, and they allowed her to rest after supper all night without question. When a tiny rock tapped against her window, the girl sat up with a jolt and ran to the window. She saw a person standing outside with a mask covering his face, and another masked person standing beside him waving. When the rock thrower realized his friend was waving, he turned to him and slapped his mask making it swing around to the back of his head. "Ouch sir," he screamed before being slapped again and told to be quiet. "But I can't see, sir!"

Rinoa giggled and immediately thought. _That's definitely Watts and Zone._

She opened her window and waved to them, and then grabbed the mask that was at the side of her bed, one of which they had given to her earlier that day, a specialized owl mask, and then she grabbed her shoes. She would make a quick exit from the window of her room, as she had envisioned it in her mind all day long. Their home was near the railroad tracks, and often a cut off from the main town, an area the soldiers were rarely seen in. She remembered hearing Zone say that it would be the perfect hide out for the head leaders of their rebel group. Rinoa thought that was highly impossible though. Her parents were too whacky to think of something as serious as rebelling against the government itself. Her dad, maybe, but her mother was downright against it.

Before she knew it, she had made it down to where they were standing, and Watts had finally managed to fix his mask properly. Zone quickly motioned for them to run quietly. Right as they had begun to run, a group of soldiers began their patrol of the streets, and Watts began signaling for Rinoa to follow him. With less than a second of being spotted by the troops, Zone quickly slid into a wide drainage that allowed for greater water flow during rainy days. It was rectangular and on the curb of the street.

"This way, sir, they'll hear you!" He whispered loudly, dashing toward familiar territory Rinoa followed him until they were further down the dark street and approaching a circular drain. Watts quickly slid the top drain from its full circle and then allowed her to head down to find Zone panting like an injured dog on a long run. He had crawled toward the ladder on his knees from such a long drop down. Rinoa smiled when she saw him.

Watts finally managed to slide the top closed just before the soldiers past that particular dead end. He took a deep breath and would've wiped the sweat from his forehead if the mask wasn't in his way.

"Alright, let's move, move!" Rinoa was left no choice but to follow in his lead, and Zone finally gathered his breath from the ground. His knees suddenly felt better and he shot up from his crawling position on the ground.

"Escaping is my specialty! Yeah baby!" Zone roared, and then followed behind them.

The soldiers who were walking patrol stopped momentarily before ever reaching the drains up ahead, looking between one another and finally asking, "Did you guys hear something?"

"No," the others answered, until a moment later someone erupted, "Sounds like Johnsons' stomach is rolling again."

"Yeah man, must've been the sushi from that diner…"

"I told you, man, I'm not eating from a place that obviously doesn't like us snooping around here," the other soldier said, and they all continued their patrol with laughs.

Down below, Zone had caught up to Watts and Rinoa and dropped down to his knees to catch his breath again. "Man, I've never seen that many at one time!"

"They're taking this watch thing way too seriously, sir!" Watts answered, putting his hands on his mask to straighten it out, "I can't imagine what would happen to us if we get caught."

"Right, that means we'll need to be extra careful when the meeting's over tonight," Zone said, finally standing to his feet. "Hey princess, you're free to turn around if this is too much for you, you know?"

"What? Turn back now?" Rinoa grinned beneath her feminine owl mask, "This is more exciting than I ever thought it would be!"

"Relax girly, this ain't half of what we go through! Thank goodness we're almost there," Zone sighed. "Besides, it's not some game…"

"Who said it was," Rinoa questioned while folding her arms. "Look, this is really important to me too and that's why I want to join. You can't talk me out of it because my mind's already made up. I want to help out too!"

"Guys!" Watts cut in, "I understand both of your points, but we need to hurry up or else our little escapade back there will have meant nothing. Let's go, sirs!"

"Right!" They both agreed and followed behind Watts, who led them through the maze of underground Timber.

When they finally reached a large door made of damp stone, Watts outstretched his hand to knock, but Zone pushed him out of the way.

"Leave this to me!" he said as he began a series of knocks and then was answered with a knock, after which he then knocked again, and finally it opened up. Before they entered, he turned to Rinoa and whispered, "There's no talking beyond this point and the speakers are using voice changers….at least, that's what we think, but the guy's voice is really freaky. I don't even think he's from here. Anyway, there's a sound screen all around us so if you _really_ need to say something, your voice will sound different. And Watts sounds like a chipmunk," he added.

"Oh, okay. Wait, what?" Rinoa answered, laughing first but then gulping down when she saw the wide gathering space before them. She followed her friends inside. The door was locked shut behind them. The room was wide and stretched out, seeming to have been some abandoned underground water pumping station. It was enough to house hundreds inside. She was expecting a group of twenty people at the most, but it was filled with what looked like most of the townspeople inside. If it weren't for wearing masks, she was pretty sure that she'd recognize them all, but the masks and clothing made it difficult to distinguish male from female. It hadn't occurred to her that so many people were involved in wanting a change. Rinoa was relieved to know that they were all on her side, and they would all stand up to the government together.

She stayed close to Zone and Watts as they made their way into the crowd, pushing to be at the very front. If it were up to her however, she would've stayed at the back. The people were whispering amongst themselves so far. The sound was full of weird voices. She realized how incredibly quiet the outside had been, to store in all these voices and not spill a single trace of any of them anywhere in the city.

When they reached as far as they would go, Zone and Watts stopped. They had just enough view of the front. Rinoa ran into the back of them as she was too fixated with the others and their masks to pay attention to where they were taking her. Zone looked back and pushed Watts over to make space for her. Watts would've retaliated but shook his head and faced forward instead, sliding to the side to let her in. Rinoa giggled underneath her mask and paid attention to the front of the room where a man stood tall, making worn out parts of pipes his throne over the crowd and he was wearing a golden owl mask.

When he spoke, silence came about the room. "People!" Zone was right, his voice was extremely otherworldly. It was almost creepy in a sense, being very deep and unfriendly like some ghoul. Rinoa remembered that they had to be careful and keep the secrecy of their identities. Should there have been any spies among them, their voices would be heard, recorded, and sought out among the town. When remembering that the sound screen was still in effect, her heart was put at ease, and she heard the man's words carefully. "Have you seen the news? Have you read the papers? This is outrageous! The government is striking at our hind legs! Without those districts, how will we spread our message of the new revolution? How will we continue to receive funding! They've found our best weapon makers' hideout, and have destroyed their base. This will not do. It means that our beloved plan of resistance has been postponed. We need more weapons. We need to gather them quickly before Galbadia strikes us again. However my friends! Do not despair! If Lechku does not despair, then neither should you!"

"Who's Lechku?" Rinoa asked Watts quietly.

"It's what he goes by down here, that's all sir," Watts answered calmly, sounding just like a chipmunk as Zone mentioned before. She would've laughed at him had they been anywhere else.

"Oh…" She mouthed beneath her mask and thought to herself: _An attack sounds so brave and what we really need, but…a battle? When he says "resistance" it sounds more like a defensive strategy. I wonder. Would we really attack first...to have the initiative over the unsuspecting enemy? It'd be better to strike them when their guard is down I guess, but you'd better have great weapons in order to do so. Still, I'd rather we didn't have to fight at all, but how else are we supposed to fight the war of oppression?_

"They will not sense our tears! They will not break us! You see how they've doubled the soldiers stationed here, treating us like prisoners. You can't go to the market without a soldier hounding you down for identification. We are tired of it! Aren't we? We're tired of being treated like criminals in our own home, aren't we?"

"Yeah!" The crowd answered, including Rinoa's trio.

At the back of the facility, the guards had opened the door for another person, and Lechku continued to preach in the background. This wolverine masked man walked inside slowly as the doors were closed behind him. He faced the guard standing at the door and whispered, "How long's this meeting been going on for?"

"Started like five minutes ago, you're not too late this time," The guard answered, obviously knowing the man by his particular mask.

"Yeah well, there was a bit of trouble, and they brought back an injured kid."

"Who is he?"

"We believe he's one of ours. He was wearing mask when we found him, looks like some type of cat," the man answered calmly. "The boys have taken him to a local's house to treat his wounds, but he's not showing much response to anything though. It's terrible, really."

"What the hell," the guard groaned. "These attacks are happening closer and closer to us. I wonder what's going on back in Deling. Think they've finally figured out that _this_ is the main base?"

"Maybe so, but we're almost ready," he pointed to the front of the room, "And every time I make it here, there are more people in here."

"Yeah, we've been multiplying like rabbits down here, and that's good. We need all the helping hands we can get," The guard smiled beneath his mask.

"Right, that is, if these aren't all kids who are still wet behind the ears…"

"I guess you have a point there. Oh well, better listen up to what the boss has to say then. Maybe something new is underway?"

"Yeah, maybe," The other masked man answered and they listened intuitively at Lechku's words.

"This attempt at our allies' lives isn't something that we should simply ignore. It is an attempt on ours as well. Our sole purpose is to create ways to provide for our struggling economy, and since the government is in charge of coming to our aid, we don't really get the attention that we deserve. If it had not been for this policy that forbids any outside help, there wouldn't be a need for our organization, but because these things are in effect, it yearns for our action even if it is not in agreement with our government. We need to give a donation to those villages that have had loss and are in need as of now, thanks to our active government and military. We need to show them that we care about them. We care about their efforts for us. Many have died in this attack. We need to heal their broken hearts as best as we can, but more importantly we need to prepare to defend our homeland as quickly as possible."

"…Tomorrow, the government will announce a signup sheet for all those willing and able to help restore the farmer's lands which we all rely on here. It will help to ensure that the crops that were destroyed in the attack are put back in place and supplied with the proper care. Any of you are free to sign up, but do not engage in any talk of what goes on down here. Treat the enemy with respect. In doing so, we might be able to get closer to their projects and gain the upper hand if they are planning to strike at us again. We will do what we can in gathering the resources and information about our future here in Timber. I have spoken over my allotted time. I look forward to seeing each and every last one of you at our next scheduled meeting. With that, I conclude our meeting. Be safe in your journeys back home, and speak of nothing to no one else. Let me here you say it-"

"For the pride of Timber, Hurrah!" Rinoa was a confused by their rush of words at first, but then she joined in the cheering from there on.

When Rinoa finally made it home that night, she sneaked back into her room and closed the window, then changed into her night clothes. She hid the owl mask between her mattresses, and left the room for the bathroom down the hall. She heard Laguna's snoring from their closed door, and sighed softly to herself. _I guess I made it back in time. I'm wiped out though, I better get to sleep soon otherwise they'll know that I was up late. Still, I wonder if I made the right choice…it felt really different than what I was expecting. It's a little scary knowing that I can be killed just for attending a meeting like that. …What kind of world are we living in? I just want to be able to walk through Timber without the presence of all those soldiers. The wall surrounding the city is so tall and makes it feel like a prison here. I wish it would be the first thing to go, that damn wall. I want to do my part to make a difference in making sure that happens someday. Yeah, maybe this is the perfect thing for me. I wonder when Timber, along with all the other towns nearby, will finally see our true independence. _

* * *

_Notepaper:_

* * *

_I'm keeping this story moving along because I can't stand to have a single chapter wait around like a princess for her prince in fairytale land. I'll most likely edit the next one and post it up either tomorrow or sometime this week. It's just one of those summers...and while my action story isn't completely done yet, I'm really hoping to have the action come up in this one pretty soon. Oh…I should tell you, my stories all have a hint of romance in them, so like the others, this one will probably have it down the line. I'm tired of writing "Squinoa" in my summaries, that, and the fact that I didn't have the space for it, lol. So, read, browse, whatever it is that you do. Thanks for Faving it or adding it to your alerts, it pays to know that someone's reading, let me tell you. But I'm going to finish everything I start, and even though I'm on a long hiatus away from Eternal Breath, it will be done. Alright, have a great day and thanks, _

_StardustRay_


	3. New Grounds

_**Fate Wild**_

_Chapter III: New Grounds_

"_I'm sorry it has to be this way. You need to hear the truth from them."_

_Who…Who was that? _It was the next afternoon when Squall finally came to. Among the first things he saw was a blurry image of the sunlight peering inside from the opened window of the room. He then rested his face in the opposite direction from the light and found himself face to face with the yellow eyes of a feline. She blinked once and meowed.

"What the hell…" he muttered, fanning the cat from his face, causing her to scurry off to the edge of the bed and jump. The bell from her collar jingled as she landed on the floor brining his attention to a child sitting on the floor feet away from his bed.

"_Oh_! You just swore!" A kid's voice carried across the room. Squall sat up quickly looking to his left where the kid continued to do a handstand against the yellow wall while talking, "We're gonna tell on _you_" he said, and the other child sat up from the floor and away from his toy train set.

"Yep," he agreed with his brother and playmate.

"But if you give us 50 gil a piece, we won't tell," the kid doing the handstand said as he dismounted from the wall.

"Yep," The other kid agreed again.

"…You're out of luck kid," Squall answered groggily. "I don't have any money on me."

"You're lying, and it's not nice to lie! That's 25 more gil for us!" The boy cheered. "What's the total now?"

"That's 75 gil for both of us, so he's gonna have to pay 150 gil total!"

"You hear that, now pay up Mister!"

"_Boys!"_ An older woman yelled in her threatening disciplining tone as she burst through the door holding a tea tray, "I told you not to play in this room and stop harassing our guest, he's injured. Get downstairs right this minute before I have to spank you both."

"Noooo," the children whined and ran out of the room hastily.

Squall sat up from his elbows and stared blankly at the woman in his makeshift recovery room. She was wearing a lime green cotton dress, with a coffee stained apron over it. There was a blue bandana tied about her head, seemingly the typical hairstyle of a housewife. Squall relaxed at the sight of her, the boys might have tortured him for money he honestly didn't have. His pockets felt empty.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Her voice had returned to normal as she faced him, the legs of her kids running passed her in a hurry. She walked closer and placed the tray of hot tea at the edge of his bed.

Squall was confused about everything. Where in the world was he? "I…I'm fine, I guess."

"You still look tired. Maybe you should get more rest."

"…I'm sorry, but can you tell me where I am?"

"You're just outside of Timber, a little ways from the wild forest and not too far away from the main town either. The men who brought you here said you were in an accident on the farm, and then a gentleman asked me to look after you until you were better. He was in such a hurry, forgot to tell me your name," she laughed.

"Oh…." Squall answered softly bringing a hand to the back of his head. What kind of accident could he have been involved in? Did he land directly on some type of steel pipe? His head was ringing with pain.

"So, what _is_ your name sweetheart?"

"Um…" Squall began, and lowered his hand. He then turned away from the woman's face heavy in thought. He couldn't possibly have forgotten his own name, could he? He sat in thought a moment longer. It was taking him forever to recall.

"Oh no, dear… Don't tell me you hit your head harder than they thought."

_What the hell is my name? Why can't I remember? _He bit down into his lower lip and breathed out aloud, exhausted and frustrated. The woman knelt down at his bedside and placed a hand on his back.

"Don't stress yourself out dear, it'll come back to you in time," she smiled and stood from his side. "Now then, you must be starving. You've been out like this for almost the entire day, and you were unconscious when they brought you here to me too."

"I'm sorry for the trouble," He answered finally.

"No worries dear! Make yourself at home. You can come downstairs when you feel like it. Dinner's almost ready," She said while walking to the door and closing the door behind herself. He groaned aloud and brought his hand to his face.

_Maybe if I just relax for a bit, it'll come back to me just like she said, right? _He took a deep breath and dropped his hand slowly. A gentle breeze came in through the window of the room and soothed him into a relaxed state. _What was I doing before this? How did I end up here…?_ The winds from outside picked up, providing a refreshing waft of air that removed the smelly odors lingering after the kids ran out of the room. His eyes travelled to the edge of the bed where the tray remained with his cup of tea atop, steam trailing up and disappearing into the air. The soft breeze gently cooled the hot tea until the trail of steam was no more.

_Wind….Squall… _He gasped suddenly. _Squall…yeah. Thank god. …Everything's still a little fuzzy though. I remember being at the base…hearing about the intruders…fighting them…running into the forest… _His eyes widened. _Martine…_

Squall rose from the bed slowly and took wobbly steps toward the window that was away from the bed. He found a view of the country side at its best, a field of wild grass beside the open road. He was in the middle of nowhere. _Did Martine die? Are there others? …And… _Squall noticed a couple of men walking on a road that seemed to pass at the front of the house. They were too far away to recognize, even though he knew he most likely didn't know them anyway. The two men were headed up the road, going toward a larger structure like a farm area some miles away. …_A farm? That can only mean one thing…_

He turned about at the window and then preceded toward the door only to feel something crunch beneath his boot. When Squall looked down he realized he had stepped on a coloring pencil and broken it; however, something else caught his eye. Beside the broken color pencil was a child's drawing of a tiny mask that had been colored with pencils and crayons alike. One of the children had probably drawn it earlier, but why would they even create a mask to begin with? Maybe a mask was a common thing to draw as a child, not that he ever remembered doodling any such thing before. Even so, there was something suspicious about it, what would inspire the kids to draw such a hideous thing. This particular mask took on a fox' physique and it looked familiar somehow, like something the rebels wore.

It was then that Squall quickly made the connection.

_I'm in the enemy's territory. ….How did this happen? I was…that's right! I wasn't exactly dressed in Galbadian armor. They must've mistaken me for one of them. _

_So what now? I could leave and go back to Deling, but then… Wait, why would the rebels knock me out and bring me here… Who did this and why? …What if somebody did this on purpose?_

_What if they already know who I am and they're just pretending? They'll probably kill me. Then again…bringing me here doesn't seem like such a smart move, and they obviously want me alive. I could easily get away, if I only knew exactly where I was. The place doesn't seem to have any defenses considering small children are here. Where the hell is my weapon?_

_If I go back, what would happen? But then…I clearly remember someone telling me to find out the truth, or was it all in my mind? No, I wouldn't make up something like that. Maybe I should hang around here for a little while longer first. _

_This just might be the only way to find out what's really going on from the other side. I better play my pieces carefully though. They can't do anything to me if I don't know who I am, right? As far as that woman knows, I'm an amnesiac._

Squall decided to take up the woman's offer and join them for dinner. It seemed whatever he might have to decide on sounded dangerous enough. To avoid being rude, he decided to see about dinner as she had promised.

Downstairs, the two boys he had encountered from before were back into their previous positions, this time the train set had been replaced with cards, and the other kid was in a handstand against a corner in the room.

"You know you can't eat for free here, doncha mister?" The kid doing the handstand muttered from the corner, trying hard to keep his voice secretive. He knew his mother would return if she heard him pulling his scam again. "It's gonna be 40 gil per minute at the table!"

Squall growled inside. _You little bastard, how would you feel if I called your mom in this room right now?_

"Alex, get your muddy shoes off the wall! If mom sees you, she'll kill you!" A young woman spoke as she entered the house through the front door.

"If mom knew what time _you_ got in last night, it's off with _your_ head first!" The kid screamed from the wall. "And guess what, _I_ know!"

"You wouldn't dare!" She folded her arms in the doorway.

"100 gil and my mouth is sealed!"He said, dismounting from the corner.

"Fine, but it's coming out of Francis' allowance!"

"Hey! I didn't say nothin!" The kid who was playing with the cards on the floor looked up immediately coming to his own defense.

"Too bad, but don't worry because Alex will pay you back from _his _allowance!"

"You can't do that, Jessie! _Momma_!" They went running passed her. The girl was too caught up in laughter to realize they weren't alone in the room. When she finally spotted Squall, she froze. "Oh, hi there… Sorry if the boys are a little bossy. They're always scraping around for change it seems. Mom hopes they'll be accountants, but they seem to be aiming toward street hustlers in my opinion. Anyway, it's always hard to tell with kids these days," she giggled. "Look at me, rambling on and on. I'm Jessie by the way, they're older sister. Who might you be?"

"He doesn't know!" Alex answered from the kitchen. Jessie heaved a loud sigh. "Hey, I answered your question, that's 20 gil!"

"Shut up Alex and stay in the kitchen!"

"Fine, but I'm still tellin' momma!" He yelled and then poked his tongue at her.

"Go ahead and tell her and remember that you have to come clean about what you've been doing too."

"Busted," Francis frowned, reaching for the deck of cards in his pocket. "Oh well, I guess it's back to the room upstairs."

"I'm right behind ya," Alex sighed in defeat as they headed to the room together.

"So then," Jessie turned her attention back to Squall, "Was it true what he said just now? You really don't know?"

"…Yeah." _I'm sorry I need to resort to this, but I have to find out the truth about my father, _"I can't seem to recall anything about my life."

The girl folded her arms and reached her fingers to her chin, "Well then, I guess we should ask those guys who brought you here about what happened. I bet they'll know who you are and help you out."

It wasn't much to go by, but it sounded better than sitting around and doing nothing. "Sounds like a plan."

"I know we'll have to wait until after dinner though, I'm starving. I hope that's okay?" She asked, lowering her hands finally. He shrugged his shoulders at her words, having to admit that he was a bit hungry himself.

"It's fine."

After dinner with the dysfunctional family, Jessie led him outside where they walked a pathway from her country style home and up the road to the farm he saw from the second floor window. Jessie explained that she was in charge of watching the crops, and then helping to harvest and sell them in town. It was how she helped her mother to continue providing for their family while her father was away.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why isn't he there now?" Squall asked curiously, walking beside her up the path.

She stared ahead of them and took a light breath, "…He's a repairman and also a farmer. His work sends him all over the place, and while he's not here, it's up to us to take care of things until he's back home and working locally." She smiled, "He's due to come home any week now. My mother is really looking forward to seeing him."

Suddenly, her eyes saddened, "…Things have been hectic with so many outbreaks recently. We're all worried about him being so far away. Honestly, I couldn't care less about this battle; I just want my family to be safe. That's all."

She had finally silenced herself as they continued. Squall looked all around them realizing he shouldn't pry deeper into their family affairs. It would not seem unlikely to suspect that this particular family knew of the rebels' activity seeing as though one of the kids had been drawing those familiar masks. However, it would be off base to inquire about her father's absence further. Asking natural questions would suffice for now. He took notice of the structure sitting at the edge of the dirt road. There was a large barn up ahead, and one across from it that had been completely destroyed. Men piled together working on rebuilding the livestock barn, while others worked alone in completing smaller tasks scattered about the property.

"So I was working here?" Squall asked, bringing his attention to the farm lands that they had neared. He knew it was an outright lie. Why were the men hiding where they really found him?

"I'm pretty sure you did. My mom said that they were all regulars from here, and they're pretty trustworthy men," she touched his shoulder quickly and grinned. "I'm sure someone will be able to help you out."

Squall cringed inside. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come out in person after all. What if they knew about his true identity? Would they persecute him now? Where was his weapon anyway?

Nearing the entryway, the two teens found a man dressed in ragged clothes emerging from the large barn wiping his face of sweat, and then removed his work gloves. "Jessie!" He smiled, release a large breath. "What brings you here?"

"Hey, Robby! Do you remember him? He's the guy you all brought by the other night. I'm just bringing him around to see if you guys could help him out."

He took a closer look at Squall and folded his arms, "…Oh, it really _is_ you. You look different conscious."

"So you know him, his name?" Jessie asked, but Squall stared off distantly feeling like a live animal up for sale.

"Well, I haven't been here in a while. I just got back a day or two," he scratched the back of his head. "If it's about the working men here, you'll have to find Kiros, he knows who passes through this place more than anyone else."

"Kiros is actually here?" Jessie sounded surprised, causing Squall to actually return his attention to their conversation. "The last time I heard, he was out on a huge order and that was _months _ago!"

"Yeah well, he's moving up in the world, but he still has time to come back and give us a hand out here so it seems."

"If you know where he is, Robby, we'd be very grateful!"

"Of course, he's out back near the river."

"Thanks, we'll be on our way then."

"Sure thing, be quick though. It's getting dark and you know how he gets about that—"

"Don't I ever," she answered, ushering Squall to follow her deeper into the farm. They passed by Robby and continued until the river was in sight. There were random stocks and farm animals scattered abroad. It smelled like a petting zoo. Some men walked through feeding the herds, others tended to broken fields. It was peaceful and quiet. He actually started to enjoy the smells and sounds, and the overall peaceful atmosphere.

Finally they came within reach of the river and Jessie chuckled beneath her breath, mumbling something about Kiros and his funny looking clothing. When Squall looked ahead, he saw a man of an evenly dark skin complexion; his hair was braided and pulled up into a ponytail and the locks fell down to his back. His body frame was skinny, yet seemingly well toned and sculpted with muscles. He was wearing a red vest and baggy blue jeans with maroon snake skin boots beneath, and was standing with his face to the water with folded arms.

"Mr. Kiros!" Jessie chimed as she trotted toward him. Squall kept his distance trying to remember if he had seen him before. Although his appearance wasn't familiar, his name was something of interest. Squall could vaguely remember hearing it being used somewhere before, but his mind was foggy, or maybe, he _thought_ he'd heard it somewhere before. Surely an exotic name such as Kiros could not be easily forgotten, not that 'Squall' was anymore more normal.

"Jessie?" Kiros answered, turning around slowly and staring upon the young people behind him. His eyes shifted momentarily from her to Squall, who continued to face him with penetrative eyes. Kiros immediately brought his eyes to her again. "It's been a while," he said, opening his arms while Jessie ran to him to embrace him.

She smiled as she did so and pulled away slowly, "I know. I try to stop by as much as I can when I'm done with my chores."

"How's your family?"

"We're all fine, just waiting for my father to get back. By the way, have you heard from him yet?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't," he answered somewhat quickly and placed a hand on his hip. "But I'll be sure to let you know when I do."

"Thank you. It would mean so much to us right now," she gushed. "We're doing the best we can without him, but it's not the same… I'm sorry, I mean everything's alright."

Kiros smiled and nodded his head, choosing to bypass further conversation into that subject. He then brought his eyes back to Squall and folded his arms, "…I see you've recovered."

Squall opened his mouth to answer, but Jessie spoke instead, "More or less… He can't remember anything though."

"Is that so?" Kiros questioned.

"Yes," Squall answered finally, deciding to improvise the role of an amnesiac. "…Can you tell me anything about it? Anything at all...?"

"That's the reason why we're here," her voice fell in behind Squall's, once again stepping closer to Kiros as he turned around to face the river again. The man sighed and brought his left hand to his chin, continuing to stare at the calm waters. "We came here hoping that someone could help identify him, and since you know all the hired hands around this, they said you'd be the person to ask."

"It's dangerous to be up and about in that condition. You could pass out at any second," Kiros answered. "My hands have been short lately, and I hired a bunch of guys at one time. They get paid in cash at the end of the day and go back home, and it's up to them to return the next day. I'm sorry, but I don't know what your name is."

Kiros turned around to them afterwards and walked toward Squall, "I'm really sorry about what happened, and I wish I could be of more assistance."

"It's fine," Squall answered, shrugging a bit. "Thanks for your help anyway."

Kiros grinned, locking a strange stare with Squall, "Once you've recovered completely, you should drop by here again. I might have some work for you. That's only if you're interested though."

Squall paused for a moment. He wondered if there were something more to this man's approach. Was it something he knew that he just chose not to say right then and there? Would he prefer it if they were alone…? Catching his hint, Squall nodded his head and answered, "Sure, I'd like to show my gratitude to this family for taking me in, and hopefully earn a bit of a wage to pay them back for their support."

"There's no need—"

Kiros immediately extended his hand, cutting off Jessie's modest reply, "Good to hear that. We'll be waiting here to welcome you aboard gratefully."

Jessie trotted back to Squall's side as he shook Kiros' hand and smiled, happy to have played an inside role in the matter.

"It's getting late. You two better head back now," Kiros sent them off. "Have a speedy recovery, son, and Jessie, tell your mother our eyes and ears are still open here too. There's nothing to fear."

"Great, I'll be sure to tell her! Take care, Mr. Kiros!" She spoke with the same smile and turned to escort Squall from the farm and back down the pathway home. There was something about Kiros. It seemed he had something more than he was willing to tell right away. Either that or he was desperate for more workers. To wish an amnesiac a speedy recovery simply to put him back into the danger that had supposedly gotten him there in the first place said it all. Normally, it would seem unethical.

Squall continued up the road with the happy brunette. She was eager to get home to tell her mother that her father was possibly on his way home.

* * *

"Seriously man, I'd sign up, but I'm just not cut out for hard labor!" Zone squirmed beside Watts and Rinoa as they stared at the volunteer line for those wanting to help rebuild the destroyed farm areas.

"Tell me about it, sir, "Watts began. "I was made for gathering information!"

"Same here buddy!" Zone extended his hand to high five Watts. Rinoa sighed and hid her face in her left hand. "_What?_" They both turned to her quizzically.

"…Sometimes I don't know why I hang out with you guys."

"Don't be like that, sir!" Watts pleaded. "Not everyone's capable of heavy lifting."

"Or building things!"

"Or standing outside in the sun for long periods at a time, sir!"

"That's why it's called _work_," Rinoa ended their madness, dropping her hands to her sides and walking toward the line. "If you two stopped hiding so much, you'd find that people in the real world get day jobs."

"Rinoa, what are you doing?" Zone followed behind knowing what she was planning to do, yelling "Are you insane?"

"They won't let you do this! You're a _girl_, sir!" Watts called out to them.

"Would you _stop_ calling me sir? I'll be all right. I may not be able to handle the tough work, but smaller things will be a piece of cake. Anyway, women are capable of many things, mind you, _and _it's legal!" she said, folding her arms and walking up to the line as it advanced one space.

"Rinoa, all we're saying is," Zone lowered his voice, "they might scan these names and keep a closer watch for rebels. You never know what these guys are up to."

She stopped momentarily to give it though, but then dismissed his idea right away, "And what if they're not? What if they really want to give us a shot at helping out the needy in their most critical hour?"

"That's all good, but it's not worth risking your life over," Zone whispered. "You can't just go carelessly signing yourself into these things. We need to be extra careful now."

Rinoa turned around to face them in the line, "Listen, I didn't take that oath just for show. I did it for a _reason_—for purpose, but somehow standing around 'gathering information' doesn't quite fulfill me. I want to be active. I want to help out where it matters, and if this will help me to do that, then I suggest you back off and let me do it; otherwise—"

"Hey you, you're next," The soldiers called out to her, the others standing in front had already signed their names by that time and left.

"Me?" She turned around quickly and walked toward them, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "…I think this is a wonderful idea. It should've been done sooner."

"Yeah, yeah, sign your name," the masked soldier spat, fanning her away. Rinoa was immediately repulsed; however, she grabbed the pen and found an empty space underneath the last person's name. Zone was muttering behind her that she shouldn't sign, and Watts had turned his head away not being able to watch as she did so. Finally, when Rinoa set the pen back down, she smiled and took a deep breath.

"There, and that's that." She left them standing there, jaw dropped.

Watts cupped his mouth, whispering, "You're crazy sir," but Rinoa waved off his accusations skipping ahead through town. Zone growled and looked at the paper, and then turned his attention to the guards standing at the table with folded arms.

"How much will they pay us?" He asked the guards.

"It's volunteer work, there's no money in this."

"Oh come on!" Zone retaliated, "What if I get injured? Would you guys at least pay the medical bill?"

"This is a volunteer form. That means you put yourself at risk to these situations."

"What the hell kind of set up is that?" the angry brunet yelled, picking up the pen. "Oh my god, I am going to _kill_ her for this!"

"Kill her before the work does, sir?" Watts snickered behind him.

"That's right, but only if I don't kill myself before its time to work," and he signed his name.

"I thought so sir."

"What are _you_ waiting for? Sign up, dweeb!" He said to Watts, smacking the back of his head to make him walk closer, but Watts backed away.

"No can do, sir." Watts backed even farther away from Zone at the table. "Because…" Watts turned around first and gathered his breath. He yelled, "…gathering information is my specialty siiiiiiiir!" as he ran away.

"You coward! You're afraid of a little hard work!" Zone spat on the ground and turned back to the table, silently sniffling at his horrible decisions because of his undying and unspoken love for Rinoa. _Oh cruel fate, will I continue to throw myself to and fro for her pleasure? Will I at least be rewarded in the end?_

Zone shrugged his shoulders, for now, he needed to play the role as a good friend to her. "Hey Waaaa_aaaaatts_! Get back here!" The brunet growled again and ran after his friends.

The town, even without their signatures on that list, had already been under surveillance. The list was simply put out to gather the names and an estimate of people at one particular restoration site. Any outside helpers would later be pulled aside with their backgrounds in question. Those under Timber's volunteer program would simply be marked as a Timber resident, and would be left under the current surveillance status present within the city while on those sites. While Galbadia has its eye on the rebel activity, it will also need to repair damages to the farms that it too marketed from and relied on. Rinoa's heart earnestly sought to be of greater service to her fellow countrymen, but Zone chose to expand his knowledge about their organizations' outside contacts. It would be dangerous, but gathering information was also his specialty.

Back in Deling City, General Caraway stood in his office's window staring into the courtyard at the scouting soldiers on standby. "…What is the report so far?"

"We encountered minor hostility, but those threats were wiped out. The commander and lieutenant are continuing to survey the area. The lieutenant believes we are closer to pinpointing the heart of the rebel army and feels confident in his men and the commander too, respectively."

"How…how is he?" Caraway turned away from the window, looking back at the soldier, who fiddled around momentarily in confusion.

"The lieutenant…?"

"My son…"

"A strong leader, sir! Just what we needed."

"I trust my son completely. I look forward to hearing the good news from him, directly," he grinned, sending a chill down the soldier's spine. "I'm pleased with the good report soldier. You are dismissed."

The soldier gulped and saluted General Caraway, "Yes, sir!"

The young private made his way out of the room and walked quickly down the halls. His body trembled beneath the uniform. He wondered how long they would have to live with the mirage of the commander, and how long it would be until the general figured out that he was no longer there. It seemed everyone involved in this scheme knew it would be a one way street. Even if Squall decided to change sides, it wouldn't necessarily mean their lives would be spared. And what if he didn't…? The private burst through the doors to the courtyard, then ran into the garden and hurled.

He quickly gathered himself, resting his back against the stone walls. _Everything will be okay_, he coached himself. He thought about his family, his daughter, and eventually the world stopped spinning. Afterwards, he met his men in the courtyard, and they returned to their vehicle. They would return to the lieutenant and continue watch from there.

_

* * *

_

_Notepaper:_

* * *

_Hey again everyone! Thanks for your reviews, they mean a lot. I'm not going to ramble on this time around because there isn't much to say. I'm glad you're continuing with me, and I hope to keep you interested. lol! Star Wars? Nah, if I wrote a comedic story, Laguna and Squall would totally act that scene out...or is it Rinoa and Caraway? No lies, I would, lol. Don't worry, no lightsabers in this story so that's been thrown out the window. Sigh in relief, lol. Thanks again for reading or skimming, lol. See you soon and take care. Have a good one from me,_

_StardustRay (puftprin) OMG, it will not let me center my title and chapter...oh, I'm gonna punch in the face. :S_


	4. Unsettling

_**Fate Wild**_

_Chapter IV: Unsettling_

When the volunteer work began three days later, Rinoa was introduced to a pair of working gloves and told to gather the wooden pranks from collapsed animal sheds and such. Although she hadn't allowed the work to intimidate her away from helping out, she was most certain that the remnant of smells would mostly do the trick. She was beginning to feel that her mother had been right on the money when it came to her volunteering, that the work might've been too strenuous on her figure, but at the same time, she might not be equipped with taking in the smells of whatever remained at the damaged sites. Because the girl was so set on making a difference and resorting to a peaceful solution, her parents had given her their okay.

Those on the volunteer list were divided up into different teams. Rinoa wondered if she would meet up with familiar faces anytime soon seeing that most of the volunteers weren't very familiar and were probably from different areas in Timber. She had grabbed up a plank from the ground that had some bullet holes scattered across it and sighed thinking about her cowardly friends. _If they had more guts, I wouldn't be alone out here. I miss you guys._

With a moment to catch air between heavy lifting, she had then returned her attention back to the rest of the scattered debris across the ground. She had to take each gathered plank and place them into her specialized wagon, and then wheel that wagon down through the farm area and dump it into a pile designated for wood gatherings. There were bigger piles containing wood, bricks, pipes, and glass, to name a few. She was glad that they hadn't assigned her to gathering the bricks and cement blocks, but it seemed that the teams assigned to those tasks were specifically men, and those who were stronger of the bunch. Unfortunately for Rinoa, there was none among them who was the slightest bit familiar.

She grabbed the handle of her wagon and wheeled back to her designated area.

On the opposite end of the farm was Zone, sweeping up glass and removing burnt debris from the ground. At first he was assigned to the cement grabbers, but complained repeatedly about his back problems until they decided to assign in a position that wasn't really much to worry about: sweeping duty. He had to sweep up here and there, and gather glass and occasionally pipes. All this however, was still too much for him.

_Whoever said sweeping is easy is a liar! They deserve to be hanged! On top of that, my broom doesn't even push across the grass and dirt. This sucks! If I ever find Rinoa, I'll give her a piece of my mind! And damn that Watts for backing out on us. He's a damn coward! _

He groaned and swept the broken glass into his dust pan, then poured the particles into his duffle bag attached to his side. _I mean, I like to help out, but I didn't actually wanna __**do**__ anything…_

The brunet continued on as he swept the glass shards to and fro, but had carelessly backed up into someone who had been kneeling down picking up cemented blocks that had been shoved into the surface of the ground from a blast. Zone stopped to catch his balance and turned around to face the man standing from his seated position.

He looked young, but serious, and not someone to step over: Zone was certain of that. This brunet had a stern expression on his face that seemed to be angering quickly the longer Zone stared at him for no apparent reason at all but being purely intimidated. "S-Sorry! I was busy sweeping and d-didn't see you!"

The boy huffed and rolled his eyes, and then went back down into his position. When Zone studied him, he had apparently been digging out the buried cement blocks and catering them into a wheel barrel. Zone realized the guy was not as fortunate as him when it came to duty assignments.

Zone whistled first and then placed the broom at his front, and leaning on it. "You know, if you tell them you have back problems, they'll give you another job to do instead of that one, an easier one." He was sure to strike up a conversation with his amusing finding, but found that the other brunet was busy hard at work. If he had had a sense of decency, Zone would've felt guilty about slacking on the job, but it wasn't the case. He wasn't getting paid for his efforts, so there was no need for back breaking work; on the contrary, there was no point in getting hurt at a paying job either, otherwise you'll lose that job and your pay as well since no jobs seemed to cover injuries as far as he knew.

With his suggestion completely ignored, Zone shrugged his shoulders and faced the pile of glass he had swept for the last five minutes, and then started up again. He figured since they were still the only ones in the area, he might have a shot at gathering some information about the surrounding area as well as Galbadia's side reasons for hosting a volunteer reform.

"So…" He started, "Are you a soldier by any chance? Taking a breather and out of your uniform?"

The brunet dropped his hand shovel and wiped his forehead. "No," he answered.

"So you're a volunteer here too then?"

"No," Zone was surprised at his response. "I work here."

"What the hell man!" Zone yelled and turned around, "How are you _working_ here? Why am I not getting paid for this?"

The other brunet took a moment to gather his breath and then brought his hands at the sides of the cement brick, then lifted it up from the ground. He grunted and stood to his feet, then tossed it inside the wheel barrel. "Maybe you should ask the soldiers…"

"Yeah right…" Zone grinned. "But I think I've pissed them off enough." Watching the other brunet walk toward the wheel barrel, Zone stepped forward and extended his hand, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about what's going on around here, would you?"

"…Just that it was attacked," the teenager answered casually.

"Timber's forest sure has changed…" His voiced lingered as if waiting for the worker's response.

At his words, the other brunet shrugged his shoulders and placed his hands on the handlebars of the wheel barrel. "I don't follow," he said while shifting his weight to push it forward.

_Wow he's good! _Zone immediately thought, and then watched him a second longer, realizing that he was somewhat struggling to push his overly stuffed transport barrel. When it seemed that the barrel would tip over, Zone dropped the broom and ran over to help stop it from tumbling and made it just in time. At his efforts, the other brunet sighed.

"Thanks," he muttered and Zone shrugged his shoulders, "Eh, it was nothing."

From there, he helped the other brunet push the wheel barrel to the large pile of stone and cement where they overturned it just inches away from the actual pile.

"You again," A soldier approached Zone. "What is it this time?"

"Hey, didn't you see? I helped with the wheel barrel. I'm not here to complain again, sheesh."

"Just checking," the guard laughed and went about his way. Zone turned around to the man with the wheel barrel and found that he had been heading back down to their assigned site area.

"This guy just doesn't stop…" he muttered trotting behind him. "So why is it you're working here? I'm Zone by the way." Zone practically galloped at his side as he continued to push the barrel.

"…I was asked to, that's all." The 'amnesiac' had taken up Kiros' offer and was forced into a truck with a group of other guys, and driven down the road about twenty miles until they came up to this work site. He was staying with the family a day longer up until he had been asked for his help. Seeing that nothing out of the ordinary ever happened during his stay, he decided to plunge into the work force to further his investigation. It was surprising to find that the soldiers didn't recognize him by face, and he was thankful. He had been working for two days already before the volunteers had begun to help out, and they mostly seemed to get in the way more than help. This Zone person wasn't doing much to help his mind change about the matter. "Maybe you should find your broom and—"

"Yeah, I will, just making conversation that's all."

"I work better without conversation," he said slowly. Zone wasn't sure, but it seemed like he had sped his wheelie up for a second.

Zone laughed, "They pay you well, I guess."

"It doesn't matter. I'm trying to get my work done, and I'd appreciate it if you would leave me alone."

"Alright, fine," Zone groaned. "I guess it's back to boring old sweeping duty."

When they had reached their area, he retrieved his broom from the ground and stared idly at the glass shards all around, "I swear, it's like I'm not making any type of dent here. No matter how many times I sweep, it just keeps coming back!"

He swept furiously and scraped his dust pan across the ground while sweeping the rest into it with his other hand and then dumped the shards into the bag. He had finally managed to rid one area of broken window glass. Zone grinned and put his hands on his hips, glad to have made at least one accomplishment since starting that very same day. With his new found victories, he felt inspired to restart his conversation with the other brunet once more, even if it annoyed the man. Maybe his wording confused the worker and he had no clue what the interpretation was.

"So, do you know anything about the animals?" he asked simply.

Squall sighed. He was at it again. Although the mention of animals seemed slightly intriguing, he could not afford to dig too deeply into anything just yet. He knew that Zone would talk about it anyway, so he allowed him to continue.

"The forest animals, they're the protectors of Timber, you know? It's sacred!" Zone folded his arms and continued, "For people to do battle here is a violation. Even so, I'm just glad that they didn't have us picking up the bodies around here."

"Those were gathered in the weeks following the attack, I heard," Squall answered finally. "…We're actually in the area with the least damage and where the least amount of remains were found."

"So I should consider myself lucky?"

Squall nodded and grabbed his hand shovel again and went back to work.

"Well, that brings me back to my first point. There are certain folks around here that have gotten this place in quite a lot of mess. You wouldn't happen to know about that, would you?"

Squall shook his head slowly and dug his shovel into the ground again. He had honestly no clue as to what the significance of any of the animals or loyalties of Timber or any town outside of Deling City had.

_Damn, there's no cracking this guy. I guess it would be better to just drop it then. _

Someone sounded the horn of a Galbadian tanker toward the front of the farm's entryway. It was understood as a makeshift bell signifying lunch time. Zone immediately perked up. "Alright! Food!" He cheered and dropped his broom. He looked over to his new friend and smirked, "I know you're starving. Let's grab lunch."

"…Sorry," the amnesiac answered. "I'm not hungry."

"Figures, oh well, suit yourself," he said as he marched away from the site and ran to the serving line where other workers served them plates of hot food. Zone had gotten his plate and then walked over to the seating area.

"Zone!" He heard Rinoa's voice yell to him from behind, she was still in line. "I can't believe you're here!" He noticed that she remained in line.

He walked over to her with his hot food and felt angry stares glued to him. "I should probably wait until you've gotten your food, Rin," he whispered.

"Yeah, I would've gotten out of line, but I have to eat…" she placed a hand on her stomach.

"Hard work, isn't it?"

"…I can't complain! It's better than doing nothing," She grinned. "Anyway, I'll see you when I'm out. Go eat and I'll catch up with you in a second."

"Will do!" He said, and heard those standing in line complaining about their long wait and how he charmed them all with his food. "Hey I waited patiently in line just like you. Wait your turn!" he growled at them and then headed for the table area.

By the time Rinoa had gotten her plate, his was almost entirely cleared. He had been working on the meatball that was covered in red sauce, and as big as his fist. Rinoa apparently settled for the same plate, and sprinkled a pack of parmesan cheese across its top. She opened her utensil pack and pulled the fork from it and then prepared to dig in.

"Are you gonna eat that roll?" Zone asked.

"I don't know yet Zone, geez. I'm starving. Can I at least _taste _my meal without you begging for anything?"

"_Sorry_," he muttered, cutting through the monster of a meatball on his plate. "So how's your day going?"

"It's okay. I'm just glad to be out of the house for now," she smiled, rolling her fork through the spaghetti and sauce and then bringing the gathered bunch to her mouth.

"If you wanted to get out of the house more, you could've just asked us!" He yelled, referring to he and Watts.

Rinoa laughed while chewing and swallowing her food.

"Seriously, this is only volunteer work. You don't have to keep coming here, you know."

"I know," she brought her water bottle to her lips and sipped at it. "But I want to do this."

"Yeah, and Watts claims to be finding out more about the G army's plans, he told me about some plan he's working on. He should be ready by the end of today and we should meet up with him," Zone had lowered his voice and Rinoa copied.

"When is the next…" The next underground meeting is what she had been going for.

"Tomorrow…" He answered and eyed her bread roll, but then brought his eyes up to those around them and exiting from the food line. Finally his eyes found a familiar brunet dressed in black work pants and a white t-shirt, who had just walked up to the table after everyone else was away and gotten his food. "Hey, it's the brick guy!"

Rinoa could only see his back as he walked across to another table away from the others.

"Who?" She asked, bringing another forkful of food to her mouth.

"The guy I was working with. Rin, you should've seen me out there breaking a sweat! Man, I don't think I've ever lifted so many heavy things in a row."

"Yeah, you probably haven't," Rinoa giggled and covered her mouth.

"_Real_ cute," he sighed. "But seriously, I think he's one of us. Every time I try to bring up the oath with him, he brushes it off."_Funny that he waited till it was empty. I guess he doesn't like standing in line._

"Zone, are you out of your mind? You know we can't talk about that here," she whispered.

"I know, I know, but it's at least handy to know who we can trust here."

The girl looked down at her plate and grumbled first. "I'd rather not talk about that stuff at all. I'm just here to help clean this area up," she muttered.

"Well I'm here to do just that _and_ gather little tidbits of info here n' there. You never know what we'll snuff out here."

"I hope you're right. You better be careful though."

"Naturally!" He said while grabbing the roll that was at the edge of her plate.

"_Zone_!" she whined.

"What," He retorted. "This roll is your pay for making me volunteer here and you weren't even gonna touch it anyway!"

"You don't know for sure! I didn't make you do anything! And stop taking things from my plate!" She slapped his hand, causing him to drop the roll into his sauce.

"Ow! Why are you so violent?"

Later when the forces had called it a day, the volunteers returned to their vehicles. Suddenly, a few of the soldiers assigned to guide the volunteers back to their designated travel vehicles took off up the road on foot, weapons in hand.

"What's going on?" Rinoa said, but was pushed to the ground by Zone, "Someone's shooting, get down!"

Almost immediately, there was a torrent of bullets pouring in. The volunteers all ran for cover. Some soldiers took bullets to places that their armory hadn't covered.

Farther up the road, a masked girl fired in, running and ducking as the soldiers returned her flares. She threw a hand grenade, causing a few soldiers to blow a few yards back off the ground. Turning around to get better cover, she was struck on her side and fell down immediately.

"Cease fire! Target eliminated!" The captain called out to his men, he then ordered three foot patrols to investigate the premises; however, by the time they reached her, she was nowhere in sight.

"Nothing sir!" They answered him, looking dumbfounded.

"What the hell!" He folded his arms first, "Well, keep searching this area. I'm calling this attack in."

Just as the captain turned around, he was struck at the back of the head. Blood and pieces of his skull lay everywhere and he fell to his instant death.

"We're under attack!" The soldiers adorned in blue armor yelled, quickly taking cover and looking out for their enemies who continued to fire upon them mercilessly.

Meanwhile, the girl had jogged as far as her body would allow her, she would be damned if those soldiers caught her in her act of justice. She collapsed near far out edges of the farm. Squall, who had still been gathering cement in that area, walked slowly to her side trying not to draw too much attention. He saw her first, with her fox mask on, and uncovered her face slowly. She was panting. He realized he knew her.

"Jessie?" He said, watching the blood seep from her wound.

"That was pretty damn clumsy, eh?" She smiled. "I don't care, they killed my father."

"What?"

"He…he was found out…and they killed him, for no reason at all," the girl's breaths were deep. "He talked…"

Squall's mind went into a whirlwind frenzy.

"_Sir….I beg you…The mistake was mine alone, please do not harm my family. They are innocent."_

"…_Spoken like a true man."_

At the sound of the gunshot, he was brought back into reality. _That…that was her father?_

"Why…why are you looking that way? ….You…you wouldn't happen to know…would you?"

"No," Squall answered quickly. It seemed that maybe assuming the role of an amnesiac had fit him perfectly. He knew nothing about the rebel's fight or their cause; neither did he know a thing about the politics of his father except that it was cruel. It seemed her father had indeed been killed unfairly. He was sending messages to help aid his family, and killed for doing that very thing alone. It had nothing to do with an assassination plot against his father. Squall was grieved. He really knew nothing after all. How could he know anything? He had spent a lifetime sheltered within Deling City.

"…Please…." Her breaths were softer now, "…Don't tell my mom."

"Jessie…"

She eased off into a death sleep. Squall was left no choice but to close her eyes. He lifted her body from the ground with the mask lying across her stomach and headed back to Kiros' drop off point to find even more vehicles gathered there. The men were in frenzy. They gathered up their own readying to head back to the farm before the Galbadian forces pursued them further. As he approached them, they surrounded him, some of them in tears after losing one of their own, and others in a shared rage with the dead girl. Squall laid her down on the back seat and sat down so that her head rested on his thigh and they were driven back to the main farm where Kiros stayed.

Hours later, Squall stood facing the river where Kiros had been standing days before. His eyes were tired from a long day of hard work, his hands smelled of cement and blood. His pants were covered in Jessie's blood. He wondered what he would tell her mother, if he could tell her at all.

"Jessie was always so courageous," he heard Kiros' voice from behind. "I knew it'd be a matter of time before she found out he was murdered."

"So you knew about her father?" Squall asked, turning around from the river and facing Kiros who had both hands behind his back. It seemed as if he was carrying something, but Squall felt it unimportant. For now, Kiros simply nodded his head and took a strong breath.

"Yes. I thought it would be necessary to keep his death undisclosed until the appropriate time."

"What right do you have in doing that? If something happens, then that family has the right to know."

"Fine, then _you_ tell her mother about what happened today," Kiros answered. "Better yet, why don't you try explaining this?" He tossed down a gunblade before Squall's feet. Squall backed up quickly. Had he been found out?

_No. Don't overreact. _"What is that?" He would pretend it was new to him.

"You really don't know?" the older man asked, walking closer to Squall. "That weapon was at your side when we found you. Are you sure it doesn't look familiar to you because I think you might want to try to remember soon," he pushed Jessie's worn fox mask into Squall's chest, and Squall looked down, grabbing the mask and staring at it. "In the meantime, maybe it's time you learned the truth about the people _here_ on the other side of this battle."

Kiros turned away from Squall and walked back to the farm, "Stay here and get some rest. Be ready to go at night, and wear that mask."

Squall watched him until he disappeared further up the walkway, anger and confusion burning heavy in his heart. It was apparent that Kiros knew the truth all along, but maybe not as much as Squall being the general's son. If he was able to keep that one little fact a secret further, he would most likely learn all that he might need to know about the rebel's front. "…On the other side?" He then brought his eyes to the ground where his weapon lay untouched. It was a relief to know where it was at last. The boy knelt down and touched it slowly, "…This is still dangerous."_ It would look suspicious if I actually tried to wield it now. I'll just keep it in the room for now._

His mind then returned an array of memories to him starting from his childhood. He was holding a weapon of lesser degree back then, but he remembered practicing with his father. The man had then told him, "Power is a means to whatever a man's heart desires." He saw himself a little older wielding the gunblade, this time, proficiently.

Sure his father had always been serious about military combat, but there was a side to him that wasn't nearly as strict as people came to describe him. Maybe it was just some of the soldiers there taking things into their own hands, like the soldier who actually killed Jessie's father. There must've been other forces at work than the general; after all, he was just one man. Maybe Kiros would show him the truth later, the whole truth. He was tired of hearing the same rumors even on the other side of the wall.

When night finally arrived, someone began to bang on his door. Being masked and ready himself, he immediately joined a group of men outside, also wearing masks. Eventually they reached and circled a drain in the ground that would lead to the sewers. Lifting it up, they each climbed down to the bottom. He was told to go, being the second to last person to climb down. The last person had then closed the drain above. There was a man wearing a wolverine's mask leading the way with a flashlight, and the others followed him vigorously. After a series of turns and straightaway paths, they had finally reached a tunnel with a door at its end. One of the men knocked on it carefully until the door was opened and they walked in to see the wide room with other masked persons.

Squall was amazed to see so many gather.

People were standing together, all wearing masks that resembled forest animals and critters, all chattering together. He noticed their voices sounded unearthly, but he thought it had been his imagination hard at work since so many had been talking at one time. He stayed toward the back with those he had arrived with, finding the door opening again to let more people inside.

Then a tall individual appeared on a stage-like arrangement standing before everyone and wearing a silver owl mask. His voice also had been altered immensely. It was then that Squall realized the voice transformations were purposed.

"It is with a heavy heart that I bring you tragic news. Someone has died in an act of justice today. About four weeks ago when that village was destroyed, one of our men among those in the Deling area had been captured and tortured, and then murdered. One of his family members took it upon herself to seek vengeance, but lost her life today. Please, I do not wish to give out terrible news, only good news. We have all suffered losses, but let's not add on to those. We give our condolences to that family and know that she and her father have not died in vain. They were both assets to our organization, but more than that they were dear friends and will remain forever in our hearts. May their souls rest in peace…"

Above in Timber, Zone and Watts threw rocks at Rinoa's window frantically. She awoke slowly, exhausted by her daylong work schedule and the nightmare of an ambush. Laguna told her to never go back to the volunteer site. He was upset and terrified, so much so that Rinoa could easily read his face. She promised him she wouldn't go back to volunteering right away. There might've been other things she could do to help out. When Rinoa realized they were tossing rocks, she sat up quickly and ran to the window opening it and motioning for them to come in closer.

"What are you guys doing, I thought you said it's next week?" She whispered loudly.

"They bumped it up! Whenever that happens, it means there's an emergency! We're already running late. Let's go!"

"Fine! Give me a second!" She said, turning around and grabbing her mask from between her mattresses. She stared at the owl's mask first, knowing that if her parents found it, she would be grounded until the end of time; however, it was important. Yes, the shooting did occur at the volunteer's site, but if more people supported, they could stop the violence and live peacefully. Rinoa was determined to do whatever meant necessary to be certain they would obtain independence. She then ran to her closet and grabbed up a pair of jeans, socks, and finally her black boots. With the finishing touch of the mask over her head, she was done, and then climbed out of her window and down to the boys who had immediately taken off running as soon as she touched ground.

They made haste toward their entry point underground. In a rush, Watts forgot to close the drain all the way and they navigated toward the hideout, panting out of breath and knocking on the door. Feeling embarrassed about being late, they all stayed toward the back as the individual wearing the silver mask continued to speak.

"It angers me that we must sneak around to carry on our business of aiding each other in times of need. Nechku does not approve. Situations like today's tragedy are becoming all too common for us to handle. We have agents scattered about the country and have been gathering materials and weapons for our grand day, the day we stand up and fight for our rights! We will not give up until Timber achieves independence. Trust in me, my fellow citizens, I am confident in our victory! I am confident in our defense! You can either stay silent or stand and fight. The choice is yours. The government will no longer dictate our every action and control us with fear. I can boldly say that our attempts are not futile! We will be heard! I will be right there beside you, fighting for the glory of Timber and I hope you will do the same for your nation! Only one meeting remains until the time we—"

Suddenly the doors opened and someone ran inside quickly, "Everybody! It's Galbadia, they're on to us! Clear out right now!"

Nechku, from the stage, immediately directed them to flee using the two exits of the large room. One exit was the back door which everyone used to enter in, and another door that was to his right that only he and his commander Leckhu used. He pointed toward the door and allowed the others to pass through. The crowd split into two. He guided them through swiftly. Meanwhile, those who were closest to the back ran quickly from the doors, so fast that Rinoa had little time to think. Zone had grabbed her hand and helped her along, but they were knocked apart from the crowd and lost one another. With everyone running out of the large door in the darkness, it was hard to know where he had gone. She stumbled looking around underneath the mask. Out in the pathways, someone ran ahead of them killing the flame torches to make it extra dark underground. Rinoa followed the sounds of the crowd in hopes of finding her way home from there. She listened to their voices hoping that she could hear Zone or Watt's voice, but never did.

"Don't go that way, that's where the Galbadians are!" Someone whispered, causing others to turn around and bump into her.

"Don't let them find you!" A woman screamed out, turning left through the sewers, a few others followed in her footsteps. It was too dark to see ahead, but she pushed forward from behind the crowd. Rinoa remembered calling it fun to be in hiding from the authoritative figures; ironically, with the soldiers on their pursuit, there was no thrill about it at all. She was scared for her dear life.

Rinoa ran through the sewers until she was the only person running, everyone else seemed to have disappeared behind her. _Watts! Zone! _She looked behind quickly but saw only darkness. The murky waters slowly trickled through the ever flowing sewer, only the stench kept her company. _I lost them…in the crowd. _Her heart was beating swiftly. There was no way to back step without getting lost. She ran through before without paying close attention to the turns and corkscrews she'd taken to get where she stood now. Rinoa sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. _Guys…_ Tears slowly came to her eyes and her heart continued to race behind her chest.

Faintly, Rinoa heard what sounded like footsteps of a single person running toward her way. She paused to listen carefully. _What if it's a soldier?_ The girl immediately got to her feet and ran forward to lose the individual behind. She ran until she found a long corridor that was a dead end. _No! What am I gonna do?_

Their footsteps sounded again, this time coming in closer. Rinoa quickly ran to the end of the corridor and knelt down in the dark, hopefully it would provide her with cover from the soldier's eyes. Only the light that poured in from the drain above from the opposite end of the corridor illuminated the area.

Finally, she saw a shadow first, and then a masked person appeared at the end of the corridor, stopping and out of breath. _It wasn't a soldier! _"H…" _Oh wait, I better not speak. I wouldn't want them to recognize my voice later._

Rinoa stood up slowly and walked toward him, he was wearing a fox mask. She motioned her hand over the mouth of her mask and zipped across it as if to say, 'Don't speak, whatever you do.'

He folded his arms for a second and looked the other way, until finally turning to her and waving his hand as if to respond that he understood.

She motioned her hand into her chest and then pointed at him, in which he understood was her asking if she could tag along with him.

He motioned his hand as if calling her in, telling her to come with him.

_Finally! I'd rather go with someone than to be stuck here running through this maze alone._ Rinoa trotted behind him as he continued until they finally came across a ladder that led up to safer ground, anything was safer than underground for now. Once at the top, he lifted the circular lid and pushed it to the side, wide enough for them to pass through.

As soon as he made it to the top, he turned around and helped her up. When she looked around, she saw nothing but trees covered by the nightshade. Timber was possibly to her left and perhaps a farm down the road to her right, but it was too dark to disclose their location accurately. Even so, who knew if it were safe enough to walk the streets now anyway? She would've loved to stay out of sight until morning, but if her parents found out about her nightlife, she would never see the outside world again.

Rinoa sighed heavily. _I can't stand not being able to talk, and this honestly isn't getting me any further._

"Do you know where we are?" She asked quietly.

"No," he answered, his voice returning her soft tone. It was an unfamiliar one. In a way, she was relieved.

"Great…" She plopped down in the grass and rested her head against her knees. "Look, I know we're not supposed to talk, so it'd be great if you could forget my voice later."

"Sure," as if he could remember a voice after the long day he'd had. Squall faced his right, thinking about Kiros and his men. Perhaps the others had already made it back safely. Only time would tell.

"What do we do now?" The girl inquired while looking up to him for direction, but Squall shrugged his shoulders and folded his arms. There was no present form of plan on his mind. He had heard what he needed to know for now. The rebels were indeed planning an attack on the army, but would they really succeed in doing so? They seemed to be a bunch of talkers with a little collection of arsenals to keep the army occupied for one full day. It seemed they were made up of a group of cowards, and to think, there wasn't a soldier in sight as he ran. Why was his father bothering to pay them any mind at all? If they were a real problem, they would've rebelled by now. If anything, it seemed that the rebels had more to fear of Galbadian than it to them. Maybe he could go back home and tell his father to leave the people alone?

…_I wonder if…if he's searching for me. Maybe he knows I'm here. _

"Do you think," the girl in the owl mask erupted suddenly, "…do you think _you're_ ready to fight for Timber?"

Squall faced her slowly, placing a hand on his hip. "To be honest, I really don't know if they're strong enough to handle the army. We-It's…It's really strong," he answered slowly, hoping she hadn't heard his slip up.

"…That's what I'm afraid of, too," she sighed. "…If they wanted to, I'm pretty sure Galbadia could wipe Timber from the face of this earth. When they said that Galbadia was coming after us…I got really scared. I don't, I don't think I'm ready to fight."

"Then don't," he answered. "…He said you can choose to fight or not. You don't have to put your life on the line."

"But then I'd be dishonoring Timber. I'll be a coward," she slammed her fist to the ground. "I'm a hypocrite. …All this time I've been talking about doing something for Timber, and helping out with everything I could. And now that we're actually gonna fight, I feel like this isn't what I want."

"…"

"I don't know what to do anymore. My parents don't even know I'm here."

"…You should go back home then," he relaxed his hand from his hip.

"I would if I knew if it was safe to go."

"Then let's wait here a while. It should calm down in a bit."

"Yeah," she slid her hand into the strands of grass while taking in the air, "maybe you're right." _Maybe I'm not ready for this at all…_

* * *

_Notepaper:_

* * *

_I wanna thank everyone again for taking the time to read this and my other stories. I really appreciate it. I'm working on the next chapter and diving the plot forward. Sorry if my writing seems to be lacking, but it's a been a while for me. This is a rebound story, to be honest. A friend of mine thinks I'm giving too much time to it, so he's urging me to ease up again. lol. What should I do? Oh dear me...lol. Thanks guys, always a pleasure hearing from ya. Take care,_

_StardustRay_


	5. Stranger to the Mask

_**Fate Wild**_

_Chapter V: Stranger to the Mask_

With her face hidden behind the rebel mask, Rinoa stared at the starry sky above. She imagined fireworks bursting into full, brilliant colors that were equally as boisterous as their sizes. It was the only thing that had helped her to tune out the sound of gunfire transcending Timber's walls. The shots reverberated throughout its surrounding landscape and sounded like friendly fares from far away. It wasn't an all out war, but a few shots here and there. Even so, it was more than she had wanted to hear. Rinoa hoped her parents and everyone she knew was okay, and somehow thinking of fireworks at such a time worked to keep her mind at peace, if only for a brief moment. Exactly when would it be safe to return home? Were they scared to death because of her absence? Her mind tried frantically to uphold the mirage of fireworks, but somehow she knew it wouldn't last. A dream could only stretch so far.

Meanwhile her counterpart accepted the gunfire for what it was: pointless crossfire. He listened intently at the occasional shots while standing more than a few feet behind her. He could've simply taken a seat beside her and pretended to tune it out too, but felt it inappropriate. Squall stood with his back leaning against a traditional timber oak tree while they waited for the shots to end. There were no lights except for the streetlights from Timber, which was very faint because they were about a mile away. The only light that sheltered them was the light from the moon. Squall was then reminded about the night when it happened. The sky nearly matched this one. He woke up the next day in the home of a stranger. What would be the big surprise this time? The boy frowned and sighed softly. He kept his head low and remained silent in the dark, deep in thought.

_I may need to head back to the camp and tell them I'm okay, but I still can't figure out who told me to seek the truth? …So much for finding out anything, it's just been the same news over and over again. I'm not getting anywhere like this._

"…How long have you been attending?" Rinoa asked suddenly, when the fireworks scenario failed to live up to its hype.

"Tonight was my first night, believe it or not," Squall's voice barely escaped his mask.

"It's only my second," she squeezed her arms around her thighs and pulled her legs in closer. "…What made you decide to come out?"

_There's so much I don't understand…so many questions remain unanswered. _"…I needed information."

"…What _kind_ of information, if you don't mind my asking," she looked back at him quickly, and then faced the distant and dark walls of Timber that stood about a mile away from them.

"…Just like you, I guess. Wanted to know where I could help out," he lied horribly.

"So…if you're undecided about fighting, are you still thinking of helping out even after what's happened tonight?"

He shrugged his shoulders to answer her question. Squall felt indifferent to the situation. He pitied them more than anything. If one was to retaliate against a brute enemy, preparation was the key to a successful outcome. They needed more organization than the measly underground meetings to discuss an all out rebellion against his father's army. It angered him that people died prematurely because of their lack of order. How many deaths like Jessie's occurred before he ever came alone, and how many times would it occur even after he was gone back to Deling City? Holding in these thoughts was not enough, but who was he to criticize anyone. Maybe he was being insensitive. Granted these were all townsfolk, how could they ever hope to defend against the army, and what type of war experience would a group of farmers conjure up? How could he possibly stay to help out when they weren't even a major threat? Squall decided to attempt at gathering a better understanding of the people's current dilemma. It seemed that most of them were dying in vain. He immediately knew that in order to gain information, some information needed sacrificing. "…Once I know the entire story, I'll figure out what I want to do next."

"…What do you mean by that?" Rinoa looked back at him suddenly, her eyes lingering, "Don't you live here? Shouldn't you already know what's been happening?"

"…I'm not exactly from Timber," he answered, lifting his face from the ground and staring at her pearl owl facemask, "so I don't know much about its current situation."

"How could you _not_ know?" Rinoa immediately stood up from the ground and faced him, "If you're not from Timber, then that means you're from a village somewhere and right in the heart of the major problems! Galbadia is terrible! We hear the stories of how families are picked apart and killed because of rebel suspects, most of which are rumors! They kill innocent children who have no idea of the faction's existence! Most of the villages that are involved only send their men here and that's only to get support from the Timber faction. It's just money to help keep their lives in order! The government taxes them so much that they barely have money to eat with! So they come here hoping that we have spare change to give them just so they'll have food at home. Why is that so horrible?"

Rinoa was so caught up in her passion that she continued, "And if it's not about the taxes, it's that 'perfect law' B.S. that creates more rules so that people are reduced to mere slaves. All that hard earned money goes straight to Deling City and keeps the rich nice and fat, and leaves everybody else begging for the leftovers that we never see! It shuts out anyone who wants to move to Deling City to bring public light to Timber and other towns. They've shut us out and given us complete silence, and when we try to rise up to defend ourselves with our voices alone, they kill us. It's bad enough they built that plant right in the middle of our forest, and it constantly kills the life around it. How could you _not_ know anything? Have you been hiding in a cave?"

Squall pushed himself from the tree and placed a hand on his waist, regretting the answer he had previously given to her. He thought of a way out to escape their conversation. There was an option of telling her about his so called injury and his loss of memory, but doing so would mean he was no better than the rich fat people living in Deling City. "I'm sorry," he whispered, dropping his hand from his waist and looking away. He was just as guilty as the others, as they often gave excuses as to why there was never a greater concern for places other than the city.

"You're sorry…" Rinoa huffed, shaking her head and walking away from him. "Unbelievable," she muttered faintly.

"…I…wasn't aware of it being like this until recently. I didn't know the rumors were tr..," he swallowed his breath unable to finish his statement._ …I had always wondered if the soldiers ever abused their posts, but this is absurd. I can't believe the rumors are true._

"…I don't know how the general sleeps at night. Somebody should do something about _him…_ He's the one shutting us out and refusing to help us… He's the one ordering those soldiers to kill children! I may not be brave enough to go into battle, but I know I have the courage to stand up against that man. He's nothing but a coward!"

Squall's head shot up at the mention of the general. She had unknowingly struck a nerve. "You don't know enough about him to say something like!" Squall yelled, approaching her slowly, but then stopping when he realized his anger had gotten the better of him. It didn't matter if the rumors were true, it was still his father. He couldn't let anyone disrespect him. At the same time, Squall remembered promising General Caraway to keep his emotions intact; however, it seemed to be hardest promise to keep.

"What?" Rinoa asked, facing him and staring upon his fox mask. "What makes you say that? Are you defending him?"

"…I mean," he cleared his throat, "there must be some other reason as to why things happened this way."

"No, there is no other reason actually, because it's him! Galbadia is nothing more than a dictatorship and it only listens to one voice. Who do you think that voice belongs to, General Caraway!"

"I'm sure if people stopped _threatening_ him, he'd be willing to help out," he folded his arms.

"They only threaten him because he never allows any private meetings with anybody, anybody who's not in Deling City. It's unfair. And it's really sad that the only way to get his attention is through a death threat, even when they weren't actually serious about it. It's the _only_ way to get his attention."

"Geez, I wonder why that hasn't worked after all these years," he whispered sarcastically, looking beside her.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, forget it," Squall unfolded his arms and waved his hand through the air, "…I understand that horrible things have occurred, but I think it's terribly ignorant to believe it's all one man's doing."

"Well I think it's ridiculously naïve to believe that one person, a leader, doesn't realize these horrible acts are happening right beneath his nose. And I think it's also ridiculous to believe that he shouldn't be held responsible for everything; after all, he _is_ the general!"

"…" Squall sighed and turned away from her. She was right, but it was hard for him to accept the sins of his father.

"…That's the only reason we've resulted to fighting," she whispered, staring at the back of his mask. "…It's the only way to get through to him. It's not in vain…"

Finally the masked teen looked down at the ground, folding his arms again. With her final words, he had completely understood. Something needed to be done soon, otherwise people would continue to be murdered in their homes or in the defense of their rights as people, and all because of his father. "…I understand. I just wish I could've heard the truth sooner," Squall sighed heavy with thought.

"Well…you could always fight, right?" She grinned and continued, "…I know I may not be a strong fighter, but I know that my place is here, fighting for our independence. People shouldn't have to worry about being hounded by troops every time they go about their day. They shouldn't have the money that they bled to obtain stolen from them either. We definitely shouldn't be forced to live in Timber or the farms around it. We're entitled to the same benefits that the citizens of Deling City get to enjoy every day. While they're parading around every weekend, we're boxed here like caged animals, and it's not right. I want things to change, and I know things can change for the better. I know it can be done. I don't know about you, but I just realized how important this is to me. I think I'm gonna keep going. I can't quit now. What about you? " Rinoa asked finally.

"…I," Squall was unsure of how to respond. While he understood only a fragment of the horrors of their lives, it was still hard for him to turn his back on his father's legacy so easily. Maybe his father was right about him. Maybe their words were nothing but lies, like blindfolds to his eyes again. How could he be so weak?

Rinoa faced Timber eagerly when realizing the gunfire had finally subsided.

"It's quiet," Rinoa grinned momentarily. "But, I hope…I hope they're okay."

"Yeah, me too. …Do you want to go back now?" Squall was glad for the subject change. He really had no clue as to how to answer.

"You think we should?"

"To see if your parents are okay, right?"

Rinoa could only nod at his words as he stepped beside her to take a look at Timber for himself. The darkness hadn't helped its gloomy atmosphere. It looked like a prison of some sort. He was immediately reminded of the walls surrounding his home as well. In a way, he too had grown up in his very own prison, surrounded by guards as well. He was forced into learning the ways of war and combat, forced to study with the revolver model gunblade since he was a child. It may not have been as harsh as her upbringing in society, but he was quite sure they could relate to one another on some level, not that he was willing to reveal his true identity to her at the moment. The only difference between them might've been the fact that he had no other choice but to obey, because of his lineage. They were forced to obey as it was the law and it meant death for them to disobey. Would it have meat death to him if he chose not to abide in his father's rules? No, it was a pointless question. He was disciplined for everything done improperly as the general's son. He had grown up to believe that it was normal to not smile so much as a child and even as an adult, but what of it now?

"Are you okay," Rinoa asked, awakening him from his daydream only to have Squall shake his head to rid himself of the invading thoughts. He had never questioned his upbringing before.

"Sorry," he cleared his throat. So far this investigation only brought about more questions than answers. "…I was just thinking that if you're serious about sticking with the faction, be careful."

"Same to you, fox," she faced him slowly as he turned to her, staring at the mask that hid her face. He saw her brown eyes and was quite sure she could see his also. Rinoa smiled at the familiarity of his eyes and continued, "…We may not ever see each other again, but I hope you decide to fight too. And when everything's over and Timber has its independence, we'll all celebrate without wearing these stupid masks."

The two teens chuckled softly and Squall stopped to take a deep breath. "Then let's get going," he walked near the drain and took a knee. "Wanna head underground again? It might be safer that way."

"Yeah, the guards like to gather at Timber's entrance so you're probably right," she agreed and followed after him as he opened the drain and allowed her to climb down first. Squall climbed down the first steps, and then slid the drain back to its original covering.

Rinoa waited at the bottom of the ladder for him and groaned within. _Mom…dad….I hope you're okay. Please don't worry about me. I'm on my way home now._

At this point, she knew her nightlife had been discovered. If the shots had at all awakened them, then they would know why she was not present. What would happen to her to now? On the other hand, making it home alive and well first was much more important than coming up with an excuse as to why she was out in the first place.

They headed toward Timber by maneuvering the passageways beneath the ground. The closer they came to entering Timber, the more masked individuals they had encountered. Still, Rinoa recognized no one. She still wondered what had happened to Zone and Watts, though. Knowing them, they had probably found safety long ago. Finally, she and her masked friend came within the walkway that Rinoa recognized as one of the first ladders she and the others had used before. However, before she could mention that information to her companion, Rinoa spotted someone in dark clothing climbing down first and closing the drainage covering behind. She stopped running immediately and placed her hand on Squall's chest, causing him to halt as she investigated further.

When the person got down all the way, he looked up toward her and froze as if having recognized her. It seemed this person was dressed in a blue soldier uniform. Both Rinoa and Squall immediately back stepped, but the soldier held out his arms in defense, stopping her from going further. He reached down at his side to remove a brown owl mask from his bag and slipped it over his galbadian mask. He gave her a thumb up and waved at her familiarly. His frantic waving was unmistaken and could only mean be one person: Watts.

Rinoa lifted her hands up together as if cheering, jumping a bit. _Yes! Watts is okay! That means they made it to safety! I'm so happy to see him, but where did he get that uniform?_

Squall was quite surprised by her cheer. The girl immediately turned around to him giggly softly, "I know him. He's wearing that uniform as a disguise." She took a deep breath and continued, "I'll just go back home with him for now, but thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Squall answered softly. He was curious as to how he had obtained an official uniform as well.

"Are you gonna be okay alone?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll get out," he whispered.

"Okay, thanks again for all your help. I won't forget your mask," she took off running forward to Watts with Squall staring at her as she ran away. _Or the sound of your voice..._Squall thought to himself.

She looked back at him with a wave as she reached Watts at the ladder, and he lifted his hand to return her gesture before turning away and running through the maze again. Watts tilted his head to the side in suspicion, "…Were you talking with that guy, sir?"

"…No, we were using sign language," Rinoa rolled her eyes playfully.

"I didn't see much hand motion going on there, sir" Watts grinned only to hear Rinoa groaning beneath her mask. "It's okay. I won't tell Zone about your new boyfriend, sir."

"Knock it off, and that sounds so wrong when you use sir there. Where _is_ he by the way and how did you get that uniform, is it real?"

"Slow down, sir! This was the surprise I wanted to show you guys before, and don't worry about him. He's hiding, _naturally_," Watts laughed and pointed up. "The soldiers only stopped patrolling the sewers about fifteen minutes ago, and now they're out in the streets. I'd tell you to stay here longer, but it seemed to be clear around your house, sir. I can get you home wearing this disguise because," he dropped his hand and pointed at his face guard bearing a wide grin, "I'm practically unstoppable."

"Idiot!" Rinoa laughed, slapping his shoulder, "You still need to be careful! What if they stop you and ask for identification?"

"Please, if I keep running around looking like a lunatic just like the rest of them, I won't be stopped. Let's get out of here, sir!"

"Yeah!" Rinoa agreed, heading up the ladder first. At the top, she pushed the drain up and inched it over slowly being sure that it hadn't dropped onto the street and caused attention. The girl peeked out first and looked around in the alleyway before climbing out completely. With the coast clear, she climbed up and then reached back to help Watts out as well. They closed the drain together and stood upright together. Before they could walk out, Watts stopped her.

"You should wear your mask until we're close to your house sir," he whispered. "Wouldn't want anyone to recognize you later…"

"I know," she whispered along with a gentle nod. Watts examined the area first, sauntering to the main street to observe closely. The city roads were dimly lit by streetlights rooted at every corner. If the two rebels stayed hidden in the shadows, they could remain protected by that dim lighting. It was too weak to instantly reveal them to the wary eye, and yet it was just enough to illuminate their chosen path. When he found no oncoming soldier activity, he signaled for her to follow. Rinoa crept behind him, joining him at the opening of the alley and bolted across to the next one. They ran between businesses and smaller properties until they were within the radius of Rinoa's apartment building home. There was only one tall street light at the front of her building, and two others at opposite ends of the street itself. Watts knew that they if they act quickly, he could get her across and separate before anyone saw her climbing the stairs to her home on the second floor.

Hidden by the dark night shade of the alley, Watts turned to her and pointed to her mask. Rinoa immediately removed it and allowed him to take it from her. "I'll give it back to you later, but for now, we need to get you home," he hid the mask in his side holster and escorted her across the street to her home. She would need to take the stairs up and run around to the backside of the building where her front door was located.

"Hey you!" Watts and Rinoa froze immediately. He turned about quickly, standing upright to find a soldier jogging toward them. _Where did he come from?_ Watts questioned within.

The boy turned pale beneath the half mask covering his face as he was unused to dealing with confrontations with the enemy. Rinoa knew this, and lowered her eyes to the ground. Things were not looking too good for them at the moment. It would be outright alarming if she made a run for it, but if Watts stuttered or made some type of mistake in his wording or even in his body language, they would be found out also. "S,si,sir!"

"Relax," Rinoa mumbled as the soldier neared them, coming to a halt.

"What's going on here? Who have you got there, soldier?" The real galbadian soldier questioned Watts, who thumbed behind him slowly with a grin.

"I'm just escorting this girl back home, sir. She was…trapped at her job when the gunshots occurred, sir."

"How could she have been at work if all business close before curfew…?" He circled them while examining Rinoa like some type of vulture. He took a special interest in her. Rinoa had never been so violated in all her life. She stepped closer to Watts' side. "Does this girl have a name?"

"I don't know her name sir, but she was just getting out of work. With all the chaos, she was scared and needed to get back home safely, so I offered my services, sir."

"Next time this happens, I want you stick to your orders, and let me take care of this little woman. Good job soldier, I'll take it from here," he said as he approached her. Rinoa closed her eyes and grabbed Watts' shoulder as he closed in on her, but Watts stepped dead in his pathway, abandoning his wimpy stature in that moment.

"No sir, thank you, sir, but you don't need to do anything else because we're just about there," Watts answered, utilizing his heavier figure and stepping forward into the other man's face a bit. It was surprising even to Rinoa to hear him say such words to a real galbadian official. She was proud of him.

"What's going on here?" A boisterous man said, stomping down the stairs quickly. "Hey, get away from my daughter!"

"Dad," Rinoa's eyes widened, snapping her head to her right and seeing Laguna trotting down the stairs.

"Yes, sir!" Watts said and immediately bolted out of sight. The other soldier, that is, the real soldier stared at the coward in disgust. Laguna watched him cutting the corner in a mad rush, and then realized the boy was one of Rinoa's friends. He had always been one of the fastest kids in the neighbor in any real emergency.

Now there stood only one man, the real enemy, shaking his head at his cowardly 'ally' and then staying put as if to prove his bravery toward the older man, "Your daughter was out after curfew. She might've tricked my comrade into believing her story getting out of work, but not so much me. I'm gonna have to take her in."

"You're not taking her anywhere. She's going home with me," Laguna spoke to him in a frightfully cool tone. Rinoa had never seen her father so relaxed, and yet equally menacing before. "Go upstairs, honey…"

Just as she started to walk, the soldier lifted his weapon up and pointed it to Laguna's face. The girl froze and held her breath. "I don't think you understand me old man. I'm the law and I said I'm her taking her in."

Laguna kept his eyes on the young man's face, "I understand perfectly fine who you are, you little shit. I'm a veteran. Shooting is the only thing they teach you arrogant pansies to do these days. You get no reasoning training or negotiation skills." Laguna lowered his tone as he continued, "You can't even think logically for crying out loud. That is to say if you tried to put your hands on my daughter, I will have grabbed your hand, bent it backwards and disarmed you, kicked the back of your knees in and broken your neck before you could call out for the backup that you're obviously lacking right now. Did I miss a beat, son? Get up the stairs right now, honey." Rinoa immediately followed his instructions and climbed the stairs to the half point. She couldn't possibly think to leave her father outside with the armed soldier, but she couldn't bear to stand watch either.

The soldier failed to remain calm. Even with a higher class weapon model, he was petrified. From the corner of his eye, Laguna witnessed the nose of the barrel gun trembling with the soldier's unrequited fear. It was hard for the soldier to maintain eye contact with him. He then swallowed a large lump in his throat and glanced behind hoping that some of his comrades would appear, but as the veteran proclaimed it, he was indeed alone. After taking a deep breath, the soldier lowered his weapon from Laguna's face and then whispered, "…I better not see you two out here when I get back."

"That's a pretty bold bluff, soldier. If it weren't for my little girl standing out here tonight, you wouldn't have to worry about ever seeing anything else again." Laguna grinned and took a breath then chimed, "Goodnight!"

The boy turned away without another word, scurrying away to continue his rounds or at least pretend to. Laguna watched him until he disappeared under the darkness of the streetlights. Eventually, Laguna turned around to climb the stairs after Rinoa with stern expression that frightened her. The moment he approached her, Rinoa frowned. She felt guilty about sneaking out to the meeting especially after all the dangerous events that had happened that day. The soldier raid simply pushed everything over the top.

Laguna stopped as he reached the flat point of the stairs and narrowed his usually puppy like eyes at her, "…I don't ever want to see you out at this time of night again. Am I clear?"

"Dad, I didn't mean to—"

"I don't want to see you out here at night at all Rinoa, _period_. You could've gotten killed out here. It's too dangerous! I don't want you getting involved in anything, and I mean _anything_ that has to do with that group. Hell, I don't even want you volunteering on that farm either. Do you understand?"

"But I,"

"Are you thinking clearly? Someone was killed there today. That's too close to home. When I ask if you understand me, I don't want to hear nothing but a yes from you. Now do you understand me?"

"Yes…"

"Good!" He sighed. "Your mother doesn't know you're out here, so when you go in, go straight to your room. Not a word about this anymore, okay..?"

Her eyes watered almost instantly. She had never seen her father so serious, so worried about her before. "Okay…I'm sorry." She felt horrible for having lied to them for so long now.

"I know," he muttered, ushering her up the stairs and to the balcony walkway. "I was worried about you," he said finally, stopping before they were to reach the front door. "Don't do that again Rinoa. You really scared me."

"…I'm so sorry," Rinoa whispered, and Laguna watched as her eyes watered. He frowned and pulled her into an embrace of which Rinoa squeezed her arms around his mid as well. "It's alright, honey. I…I just don't want to see anything bad happen to you," he murmured into her hair.

The girl cried into his chest, glad to be in the safety and comfort of her parents' home again. Although her heart yearned to see the day of Timber's independence, she knew what horrors awaited those who paid the price of that freedom. Maybe there were other ways to help the faction without resulting to anything dangerous. She never meant to make her parents worry. Her mind immediately wondered if Watts or Zone would know of other less dangerous opportunities in which she could possibly participate in for the time being. Until then, she would stay in the shelter of her home.

Meanwhile underground, Squall continued running in circles. He had found the main meeting room, and decided to keep straight from there. He vaguely remembered the turns they had made to get there, but found himself arriving at the same dead end where he'd found the girl wearing the owl mask before. He ran further and decided to take the opposite pathway which was long and stretched out, it didn't seem to end. Somehow he remembered following the others down this particular path. Squall took it without hesitation and jogged for a bit with only the echoes of his footsteps to keep him company. Finally, he saw a torch burning up ahead and sped up his running. He arrived at an intersection of waterways. Somehow this site was a familiar one.

He distinctly remembered travelling this way with the group of men before. Squall decided to take the path to the north, his left, and followed it through. There in the shadowy maze, he saw a figure up ahead of him, standing with his arms folded and wearing a mask that he barely remembered before. It was shaped to be a frog of some type, most likely a tree frog and was clearly another forest critter. He then remembered the guy from rebuilding site going on and on about the significance of forest animals protecting the land surrounding Timber. It didn't seem to make sense to Squall at first, but now he finally realized what the whiner was hinting toward.

Squall decided to put that thought on hold and focus on his current dilemma. As he reached the other masked man, he slowed his pace until coming to a steady walk near the guy whose arms remained folded. Then the other man whistled out to him, obviously remembering Squall's mask from earlier which was in actually, Jessie's fox mask. The man motioned for Squall to follow after him. They paced through the remainder of the underground territory until finally reaching a ladder that went up right to the farmhouse. Squall climbed up first and crawled out from the already opened drain. The other man did the same, but closed it behind them instead. He had obviously been waiting for Squall to arrive. He wondered how long it had been since the others arrived there anyway.

The brunet didn't care to find out. He made haste toward their motel styled rooms located across the driveway. He marched until reaching his door on the ground level. He couldn't wait to get away from them all. Squall opened it and entered eagerly only to find the man in the wolverine's mask seated in a chair at his bedside.

"What took you so long?" The man asked him, unmasking himself finally and revealing himself as Kiros. Squall removed the entire mask from his face and head, and balled it up in his hands.

"What took me so long? You expect me to know this area? I don't even know where I am when I'm _here_!"

"I'm sure it'll all come back to you eventually," he mocked the young man with a chuckle, making Squall question his current mindset. Since Kiros joked about his 'condition,' Squall painted of him as shady. "You must have a few questions then?"

The brunet closed the door behind and then threw the mask on the floor. "Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. Exactly how did I end up here?"

"…Don't you remember?" Kiros lifted his hand, the accessories on his clothing jingling.

"I remember waking up in Jessie's home, nothing else," Squall answered calmly, although his eyes held a glare directed to the man in maroon. "I barely remember anything before that, so I'd appreciate it if you told me."

Kiros simply stared at him from his seat in the chair across the room. "…Someone informed me about an outbreak in the plains. When I arrived there, you were on the ground wearing a mask with that weapon beside you."

Squall would've called him a liar, but held his tongue. He folded his arms as if to allow Kiros to continue.

"We figured you were one of ours for the time being, and took you back with us. I had you sent over to Jessie's mother so she could nurse you back to good health, but then I started to wonder about you."

"Oh yeah..? About what exactly..?"

"…For starters, why are you even in possession of a gunblade?" Kiros looked over at the gunblade only to have Squall following his eyes to the weapon as it lay across the floor in the corner of his room. He was surprised that Kiros even knew its proper name, not many people outside of those stationed in the military had ever heard of it before as it was a rare weapon indeed. "…Let's be honest. No normal citizen would ever have access to a weapon like that."

"…I don't know why I have it," Squall answered.

"Listen kid, you can continue to play dumb all you like," Kiros rose from his seat. "Your act will eventually get old."

"What act? It doesn't belong to me!"

"I've got to hand it to you, kid, you could be really convincing elsewhere," he lifted his hands with a wide grin. "For the record, it doesn't even matter where you came from or even if that gunblade really belongs to you or not." Kiros lowered his hands to his waist and rested them there, "The point is that the battle will start soon. It'd be better if you '_remembered'_ how to use it and fight for the right reason."

_Fight for the 'right reason?' Give me a break. _"Forget it, I'm not fighting," Squall shook his head.

"You will if you expect to live," he folded his arms and walked toward Squall slowly. "Don't misunderstand us or our gatherings. I think you heard what the leader had to say tonight. He wishes to strike back soon. It's time you learned that the Galbadian army doesn't care about anyone or anything outside of Deling City. You think they won't attack _you_ if you refused to take up your weapon? Unless you've got some kind of strong bond with them, I don't think they'd be willing to take you back so easily."

Squall stared at him first and then swallowed his breath. What was he hinting at? Where was he trying to go with this conversation? "…What do you want from me? You want me to fight for _you_? Protect _Timber_?"

"I want you to fight for what's right. The leader of the Galbadian Army, General Caraway, is a tyrant. When people rise up to fight back against his command, he obliterates them entirely. He shows no mercy, no sign of weakness. For those reasons, I chose to stand up and fight and have been meeting up with the factions ever since."

"I don't get it then. Why do you need me? I mean if it's such a big deal that you defend Timber, you guys have more than enough people to sustain the army for a little while. I'm just one person. Shouldn't you discuss the next course of action with your leader instead of trying to recruit me into your futile cause?"

"Boy you pick the wrong choice of words. _My_ leader…?" Kiros began laughing as he approached him. "As long as you're here in this domain as John Doe, that brave soul is also _your_ leader. I don't know why, but I've a funny feeling about you. It's like you don't approve of this lifestyle."

"Maybe I don't. I don't believe in sneaking about like a coward, nor do I believe in making vain death threats to a man who's done all he could for you people, and you don't even realize it."

"I guess they were wrong about you. You're _definitely _not used to this side of the tree, and it looks like you're not even concerned about anything that's going on here either," Kiros sighed and closed his eyes. "I really pity you."

"I never asked for your pity," Squall growled. "You should've just killed me."

"That would've only defeated the purpose," he opened his eyes and turned his back to Squall. "It's a shame they don't even recognize you."

"What kind of answer is _that_…? And who are you talking about? …If you know something about me, then why not say it..?"

"I think you're taking this memory loss illness to the max. If you know who you really are, then why don't you just tell me?

"What don't you understand? I can't remember. I don't know!"

"Then I don't know anything about you either," he faced Squall again.

Squall turned to the door behind him while rubbing his hands over his face. He was irritated. Should he come clean or keep quiet for as long as possible? "What don't you understand?" he dropped his hands and paced to Kiros, "I'm no one special! So, why is it so important that I fight? What difference would it make if I were there or not?" Squall asked him finally, glaring at him, "…What are you hiding from me?"

"Contraire," Kiros grinned. "If you're not that special, I think you would've admitted the truth by now. The fact that you're trying so hard makes me believe you have something to hide."

"Who do you think I am then?" The brunet questioned, but Kiros ignored him.

He walked past him and headed to the door, but Squall tugged on his shoulder to turn him around only to have Kiros knock his hand off of him quickly. "Why won't you give me a direct answer?"

"I think you already know what's going on here. What more do I need to say?"

Squall realized he had been found out. The only problem was how much did Kiros know about him. He wouldn't admit to anything until Kiros revealed what he knew of him first. Even so, why was he so nonchalant about everything, even if he was supposedly a _typical_ soldier? "Aren't you going to take me in, report me to your leader?" the boy asked finally.

"Why should I? _You_ people are quick to expose your barbaric mentality in assuming the worst possible case imaginable. The only reason you're holding it all inside is because you're afraid we'll kill you. Do you think our leaders, Lechku and Nechku, would kill you for being who you are? Everything doesn't need to result in a person's death. You have a lot to learn about us, young man. You clearly haven't had the revelation about the importance of our mission yet, so I think you need to continue with your investigation. Didn't you see the way she died today?"

Kiros approached him slowly, "Jessie charged out in rage because of what happened to her father. It wasn't the right way to handle things, I agree, but it just shows how tired we are of this unnecessary bloodshed. He was merely a messenger. Her death, though horrible and sad, was a mistake, and it happens more often than you think. Until any of that hits home with you, I don't think you should go back. This faction isn't about the money or the revenge, it's about being equal. People are dying for this cause every day, and their cries go unheard by all of Galbadia, including your General Caraway."

Squall swallowed his breath at Kiros' words. He walked away from the door and lowered his eyes to the floor of small room. Kiros took a step toward the door, but the brunet's face shot up, "Wait, you're just going to let me wander around?"

"Yeah, because I know you're a smart kid. You're in enemy territory, you wouldn't do anything here. Besides, maybe you'll think about everything and eventually come to terms with us. You may even decide to help out."

"You're out of your mind. That's never gonna happen…"

"Oh…? You think it'd be treason for you?" Kiros smirked, "For _you_, no…it really wouldn't be."

"What is_ that_ supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm not going to force you to stay, but if should you choose to leave…know who your allies are beforehand. Some of them probably want you dead."

"They wouldn't _dare_ strike against me."

"Really now…?" he chuckled. "You're awfully confident in the wrong crowd."

"Why would you say that?"

"If I told you everything, you would _never_ believe me."

Squall glowered at him. He wanted the man to just answer his questions without riddles. What wouldn't he believe? Maybe it would be the very opposite? Would it be hard for him to believe that Squall was the general's son? Even so, he would never admit to it behind enemy lines. Squall became curious about his sources. At one point he seemed to believe that Squall was just a regular soldier, but now he was throwing hints as to knowing his true identity. "…How do you know about me? Did you come up with this all on your own or is someone helping you to know?"

"I make it my business to know," Kiros answered him with a wave of his hand. "Oh, and I should say this… No one has ever outsmarted Caraway's wit… There is a reason he's been in office for so long. He could take apart his enemy's stronghold in a matter of minutes, kill hundreds in an hour, and end an entire war in one day. Going up against someone with his battle strategy takes some time. That would explain why we've been in hesitation for so long, but I bet you would know that better than me."

"You're wasting your time…" the boy frowned. "…It's got nothing to do with me."

"That's a very smart move. Pretend you don't know what I'm talking about or anything about who you are, and I'll pretend that I buy it. This conversation stays between us, and in any case, I think I've said enough for now. You should go to bed," Kiros said, and exited the room immediately after. Squall breathed heavily into the air and punched his fist against the wall beside the door. _What does he want from me? Would having me on their side really change the course of battle? No, what are you thinking? Fight against dad? I could never… If I cooperated it would be treason, but…what did he mean by it not being so in my case? I can't stay here much longer or else he'll get suspicious… What am I doing here now? …No, I'm seeking the truth and then I'm going to end all this, no more innocent people being killed. It makes me wonder… What if she was right? What if dad really is a coward?_

_

* * *

__Notepaper:_

* * *

_Hey guys, thanks for your great feedback! I'm really amped about this story now. Um, I apologize if the end was a bit much! I had a lot on my mind, and it just kind of exploded into the story. Kiros is kinda pushing Squall it seems like, and Squall's being so stubborn there. Ah, couldn't be helped I guess. About Squall and Rinoa's chat, well, I'd say their one conversation should have brought them both to a new level in their lives. From this point on, things will begin to change… Well now, I wonder what Squall will ultimately choose. Most of the general's deeds have been written out before him, but what if it was your dad, would you really be so eager to take somebody else' side over his? I imagine it's a tough decision. I'll just say this, don't get comfy, because the next update is underway. Oh, and I wanted to add that Lechku and Nechku are characters from Okami, in case someone's wondering. They're actually evil twin demon owls who are trying to destroy a certain world. I thought it was fitting being they're owls in all, but maybe not so much the demonic influence, lol. OMG, I totally forgot to make a disclaimer banner. Oh I just love those, lol. Guess I'll make one next chapter. Thanks for reading, skimming, or whatever you do, just thanks for doing it, and remember to let me know what you thought. Thanks and take care! Till next time everyone! [And I better say this before they hound me for credits, I DON'T OWN THESE CHARACTERS OR FINAL FANTASY VIII NOR OKAMI SO DON'T SUE ME!] Better._

_StardustRay_


	6. Made For This

_**Fate, Wild**_

_Chapter VI: Made For This_

Julia swallowed her breath hard. She could hardly stand to stare into the mirror at her pale face and tired eyes. Blotchy red marks of stress covered her cheeks and throat, it was a strange ailment. There had only been an hour to remain before sunrise and she had not found rest at all that night. Her mind was consumed with troubling thoughts of Squall. There had only been one time she had ever disagreed with her husband when it came to Squall. She remembered it was when Squall was a mere child. He wanted to end his studies early just to enjoy being a kid for one afternoon, but his father objected to it. Other than that memory, she had never stepped up to her husband. Despite her understanding that Squall would become curious about life outside of Deling City and would insist on exploring, she was beginning to find that her speaking up may have been the wrong idea, especially if Squall somehow wounded up farther than his initial patrol area.

Squall was a brave and strong soldier; however, Julia felt that something had happened to him. Could he have found danger? It was to be expected since the boy had been ordered to ward off possible rebel threats. Perhaps the danger she felt was a natural reaction to having a son enrolled in military duties? Even so, speaking up to Richard about her premonition would leave him to accuse her of her weakness as a woman showing. He believed in their son, so much that it became a curse. The boy was not invincible. He was only human and not a killing machine. She would have liked to ask him to bring her son home, but doing so would mean she lacked faith in their son's own strength. Having Squall return by her word would be an embarrassment to their family and an embarrassment to all of Galbadia. Her mind foresaw these things. What would be worse, she thought, if her son was called back by her word or that he discovered his true bloodline? She was worried. Not a single soothing thought came to mind.

"Julia, what's the matter?" Richard stood in the door frame behind her in his night robe, having witnessed her odd behavior.

"…It's nothing dear…" She pretended to smile and brought her eyes back down to the empty faucet bowl.

"You've been standing there for the last thirty minutes doing absolutely nothing. Clearly something's bothering you."

"…I'm alright," the brunette reached for the faucet handle and turned it, allowing warm water to flow.

"We've been together for all these years. I think I know when something's troubling my wife. Now, tell me what's wrong."

"…It's Squall, Richard," she turned the faucet off and brought her hands over her face. "I know he's…he'll be fine, but," she lowered her hands and looked at Richard through the mirror. "…I don't like the idea of him being so far away from home."

"He's not far away…he's right outside Deling," Caraway grinned. "For the record, I plan to have this entire rebel business cleared up by the time Squall takes my place as general, but before that can happen, he will have learned everything he needs to know to sustain his rule over Galbadia. It will be rewarding in the end for him to learn how to deflect the possible threats of a rebel group in his lifetime, starting now. It was your idea for him to leave for a while, so why is it that you're afraid suddenly?"

"…I think every mother worries for her son when he sets out on his own. I've been hearing the soldiers speaking of the rebel's attacks lately and they seem all the more violent. To think that Squall could be out there in the midst of it all…it scares me. I know he's a strong fighter, but he's also my son…"

"Squall has to be a man out there, but he will never be one if you insist on babying him."

"I haven't babied him," she faced him and narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I want him to grow stronger, but this isn't the time for him to be out there fighting."

"When do you suppose that time will be? If left up to you, Squall would never have a taste of a real battle. I'll have you know that it was his request that he be allowed to fight. I will not have my son withdraw completely because you're scared for his life out there."

"Richard— "

"Sir, excuse me sir!" A soldier barged into their bedroom and stood center stage, "there's been a breakthrough." The general wrapped his robe about his being and turned around to face the soldier, leaving a startled Julia in the restroom alone.

"What is the meaning of this?" Caraway asked as he approached the soldier wearing green getup.

"Sir, my apologies. The situation in Timber has grown intense. We now know the main gathering place of the rebels and have scattered their forces for now. It is suspected that many of the rebels actually reside in Timber. We have high beliefs that the very leaders live there also. What do you suppose we do, sir?"

"Suspend the city. Interrogate and prosecute all those who are affiliated with the rebel factions. Do not rest until the leaders are found and destroyed. Also, has there been any word from the commander's forces?"

"Only minor reports from Lieutenant Martine, sir."

"Have the commander report to me as soon as possible. I may decide to give him new orders."

"Yes, sir," the soldier saluted him and turned about to exit the room. Richard looked back toward the restroom and was met with Julia's saddened eyes.

"Julia," Richard sighed, approaching her and placing his hands on her shoulders, "…This is part of growing up. Surely you're aware of this process. I had to leave my parents for a while, but I returned and our son will do the same." Mrs. Caraway sighed at her husband's words. He continued, "You're afraid that he won't be the same, aren't you?"

Julia stared into his eyes with ghostly pupils. It was indeed just one of her greatest fears. Should Squall find out about his biological parents, he would _never_ be the same. He would probably resent her and shun her for the rest of his life. In a way, her husband's words were on point. "…You're right, I am… I can't let that happen."

"But it must and it shall… To become the general of Galbadia, one must endure and overcome the harshest of situations and realities. It is his fate to become a strong man, his fate to become a fierce fighter, and his fate to rule this nation after me… I suspect you fear change, but rest assured it is a change for the better and the good of Galbadia."

"Fear of change? …Indeed, I am," _but is it his fate? _She continued to herself, gazing into Richard's earnest eyes knowing that if he knew the truth about Squall, he would never speak of those words about him. _I've stolen his fate, made it my own… If Squall were to find out about his past, then what of his fate now? It would be absolute chaos… A fate, gone wild…_ "…I love him, no matter what. But if something—"

"Nothing is going to happen to him. I'll see to it that he's taken care of, is that alright with you?" He pulled his hands away from her soldiers and smiled confidently.

"Yes, dear, it's perfectly fine."

"You should get more rest," he turned away from her and then looked back, "you look exhausted."

"I…I'll try," she grinned softly and took her husband for his word.

* * *

"_All citizens of Timber are being urged to remain indoors. The Galbadian officials have declared an official lockdown of the city until the rebel leaders are captured. Anyone who is suspicious of this rebel activity will be seized and interrogated. We urge all citizens to remain indoors until this inspection is complete. Timber will be occupied until further notice. All resisters will be seized." _The Loire's radio blared into their living room. Laguna pulled his face away from the peephole, taking a deep breath and facing Raine.

"Lockdown or not, I still have to go to work," he gestured his hand through the air and down to his side.

"Gunie," Raine pleaded with him with soft eyes. "Just this once, let's abide..."

"No, someone needs to go out there and see what's going on. Better me than you, so stay here with Rinoa. I'll call you and update you about the situation from out there, okay?"

Raine knew she could no longer argue with him when his mind was made up. "…Please…please be careful," she whispered, as he embraced her wishing he could stay with them until things were safe again.

"Of course I'll be careful. You be careful too," he muttered into her shoulder, then pulled away slowly. "Take care of Rinoa," he said.

Outside, the city was flooded with Galbadian soldiers running amuck with investigative duties of their own. Laguna was stopped twice along his way to work in which he had used his work ID to get through security. Being a journalist for the local newspaper had given him the authority to move about the city for the time being, though he wondered how long his privileges would last. He would make the most of it until then, he figured.

Upon reaching his work location, he had met eyes with the cocky officer from earlier that morning. There remained the same glare that was given to him from before, a glare that Laguna simply smiled at and continued on his way. Somehow he knew he would not see the last of this particular soldier though Laguna hadn't exactly feared him as much as he should have.

Raine peeked through the blinds of their windows at the streets below. Her heart was beating frantically in worry of Laguna's wellbeing. It seemed like everyone was being gathered up however. She saw a couple of lines of residents grouped together on the street and was growing longer by the minute. Her insides immediately began to stir. Nothing frustrated her more than not being able to do a single thing to help them.

Rinoa emerged from the long hallway, wiping the sleep from her tired eyes. It was a long night and one that she hoped to soon forget; however, with the sudden events on the prowl, there would be no way to forget. As she walked out into the living room, Rinoa hadn't expected to see her mother still home as both of her parents were still working.

"Mom, what's going on?" Rinoa asked, realizing that Raine seemed a bit more panicky than usual seeing as her hands tangled in the string of the blinds trying to get them to open wider or narrow them, Rinoa couldn't tell.

"Timber is under surveillance, a lockdown. We're not allowed to go anywhere without proper identification or the authority to do so. We have to stay here."

"Where's dad?"

"He went to work," she sighed, finally pulling her eyes away from window and closing the blinds. "…That man is a knucklehead at times."

_He just wants to be informed, I bet…_ Rinoa thought to herself. "That's dad," she smiled. "Will he be okay out there?"

"He should be fine with his license, but I think the soldiers are starting to get carried away down there. They've got almost everyone in this neighborhood in custody."

"What?" Rinoa trotted to the window to peep through the blinds, seeing it up close for herself. Sure enough, the line had doubled since Raine looked down below before. "I thought lockdowns meant everyone was to stay _indoors_?"

"That's usually the idea."

"Then why does it look like everyone's being pulled from their homes?"

Just as Rinoa had finished speaking, they received a quick rapping at the door.

"…Mom," Rinoa whispered, her heart immediately pounding in her chest. Raine held her index finger over her lips and made her way to the door to look through the peephole. There she saw a galbadian soldier, unarmed but standing at the door nonetheless. Raine backed away from the door, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"Is it a soldier?" Rinoa asked nervously, holding her hand to her necklace and tugging on the silver string. She already knew the answer to her own question.

Raine nodded her head slowly. From her past experiences with galbadian soldiers, she knew they'd enter regardless if she gave them permission to enter or not.

"Rinoa, they'll probably break the door in, so I want you to go hide in your room."

"Mom,"

"Hide!"

Rinoa followed her mother's command reluctantly.

The soldier knocked again, "Rinoa! Mr. Loire!"

"Watts?" Rinoa gasped, turning around and running back into the living room. Raine immediately opened the door to let him inside. The boy ran inside quickly with Raine closing and locking the door behind him.

"Sorry to barge in like this Mrs. Loire," He said immediately, panting from either running the long flight of stairs or out of pure fear. "I've been running around the city in this uniform all morning long! Finally, they ordered me along with a few other real soldiers to check these apartments for any occupants. We just checked all the others along this street and I've watched them yank everyone out. Because we're here, I came here before anyone else could so they would skip over you guys."

"That was thoughtful of you, but not very smart, Watts. They could still be on their way up here."

"Don't worry, I'll tell them no one's home," he grinned and placed his hands on his waist, confident in his half baked plan. Even though the situation was grave, Raine smiled at his naivety. She truly admired his genuine heart.

"Watts, why are you still in that uniform, it's dangerous!" Rinoa had practically growled at him.

"Call it my curse, but I can't take it off," he motioned his hand to his face implying the galbadian mask which covered his features, "I've decided to stick with this gig for a while, at least to get any information out of them for the time being."

"What more information do you guys need? We're under lockdown now!"

"Yeah, but I wanna know where the rest of the army is…if we'll see the general in the flesh. There's never any information given out about him…"

Rinoa slapped her forehead, "When I said I wanted you guys to help out, I didn't mean like this." She then lowered her hand rested it at her side. Raine folded her arms, continuing to listen to the two teenagers. "By the way, where's Zone?"

"I last spoke with him this morning. He was heading back to the volunteer site with a handful of other people shortly before Galbadia occupied us, sir. He was hoping to hear what the army is up to after last night's big bust, but now that he's outside of Timber's walls, I'm sure he'll keep a watchful eye on things abroad for a while." Watts touched his fingers to her shoulder quickly, "Rinoa, there's really no need to worry about us. We were born for this! We're under an oath after all." Watts winked at her before he thought Raine had seen what happened; however, she had noticed from the corner of her eye and remained unruffled.

"…But," the girl protested.

"…I understand," Raine agreed quietly. "Watts, I think I'll need a favor…"

"Sure Ms. Raine," he gave her his full attention like a real soldier. Raine took a deep breath first, knowing she would be asking this young man to put his life in jeopardy. It was the difference between the young and the old: younger people were quick to lend a hand, sometimes without even considering the ramifications while older people often did just the opposite. Most of the time, the ramifications outweighed the urgency of necessary steps and things went along undone. Perhaps Timber would change greatly if more young people were willing to step forward like Watts had, but was it right? What of Rinoa then? Would she too feel obligated to put her life, a life she had just begun to live on the line for her family, her city?

Raine pushed aside her thoughts and continued, "Can you keep an eye on my husband for me? He's at his office."

"I can do that!" The boy grinned with only the bottom half of his face visible as the top was covered by the galbadian mask.

"Actually two favors…," she muttered and thumbed the air behind her. "I'll need you to escort me downstairs to that line of residents out there. It'll look suspicious if you returned empty handed."

"Mom, _no_!"

"Rinoa, I'll be fine. I need you to stay here and hide."

"What?"

"_Rinoa_," Raine stated firmly in a tone that Rinoa wouldn't dare protest against. "Stay in here until things settle down. I'm sure I'll be released once they know that I'm a private citizen or when they decide to leave Timber."

Watts shook his head firmly, "Ms. Raine, I don't think that's a-"

"It's a first step precaution, Watts. Just keep going to the Timber Maniacs building when we're downstairs. I'll be fine."

"Mom…" Rinoa approached her and gave her a tight hug, "Let me go with you."

"No, your father would kill me," Raine grinned. "Just lock this door behind us and stay in your room. I'll see you later, okay? …Be brave and stay here."

Rinoa gathered her breath and nodded her head, then looked at Watts with a sigh, "…Watts, please be careful, okay?"

"Careful' is my middle name, and anyway, I have to redeem myself. If getting Timber one step closer to independence means wearing this despicable disguise another day or two, I'll do whatever it takes. It's the only way I know that will help us….especially after my mistake last night…"

"What mistake?" Rinoa asked, staring at him quizzically.

"Ugh…" he was embarrassed to bring up the issue before Raine, but continued nonetheless, "I think I may have been the cause for this lockdown…I mean, not that you would know about this, but…I forgot to close a certain door… Anyway, my stupid mistake is what caused all this and so this is what I'm doing now to make up for it."

Raine shifted a bit and shook her head, "Galbadia is absurd. It's no surprise they've occupied Timber. They were waiting to jump at any opportunity they came across to give an order like that. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Moreover, no one is to blame for their insanity. Now escort me downstairs before they send more troops up here," she said while facing the door and peeping through the peephole, "…which they're doing now." Soldiers immediately began to pound on the door as she slowly backed away from it.

Watts and Rinoa's eyes widened.

"Rinoa, you know what to do. Watts, let's move," Raine said in an incredibly calm manner while unlocking the door first, then Watts took her arms and folded them behind her back as if she had been captured. Rinoa ran out of sight and to her room, hiding as Watts and Raine exited with Watts being the last to exit their apartment.

"Finally found her! She was alone and hiding inside," he yelled maniacally. He stayed close behind Raine with a not so tight grip and left the door opened slightly behind them to clear a convincing argument that she was the only occupant. The other soldiers naturally cleared a way first, watching him reprimand her with a touch of aggression. Some watched with grins. He continued ushering her down the steps and was glad when their captain met him at the bottom, then waved for them to head down behind him. The soldiers, who were still watching from the top of the stairway, had finally followed them downstairs and began to escort her to the line that had nearly tripled in size. Others from their neighborhood were both angered and relieved to see Raine as she had a knack for remaining calm in times of trouble.

Upstairs, Rinoa waited until their voices could no longer be heard to run to the door and lock it. She then ran to the wide window behind her where Raine had been looking out earlier. Rinoa cringed when the group of soldiers and their captives and her mother came into view. She found Watts escorting her by the arm and leading her to the other soldiers and civilians. Raine was immediately ordered to get into line. Watts saluted their captain and then ran ahead up the street, apparently heading toward Timber Maniacs.

A new group of soldiers arrived shortly after his departure. There, they had everyone walk in a single file and out of Rinoa's sight.

Her eyes stung with tears as she watched her mother glance up toward the window, taking one last look at her apartment where Rinoa was hiding away. She saw that her mother's looking had attracted a nearby soldier's attention, and he looked up at the window sending Rinoa falling to the floor and crawling. She lifted her head slowly and saw that that same soldier had given up and decided to follow the line of captives. He was to be certain that no one attempted to run away.

Rinoa immediately wondered where they were being taken. Maybe Raine would be released by the end of the night as she previously said, hopefully...

* * *

"Hey, this is no way to treat a volunteer! Do you hear me? At least tell us where we're going!" The brunet's voice growled over the loud engine roaring before them. Their bodies vibrated within the belly of this particular vehicle. It was stretched to hold many and only a ten or twelve aside from the six soldiers at the front had occupied its seats.

"Pipe down back there, you'll know soon enough once we're there!"

"This is ridiculous!" Zone yelled from his seat on the bus. They'd been riding what seemed like all morning long. They were miles away from the rebuilding site with nothing but greenery all around and up ahead. The bus sounded as if it was moving faster, but Zone was sure they were traveling no more than fifty miles per hour. He and ten others who had hoped to volunteer that morning were being driven around blindly in the wilderness without so much as a word to guide them.

"Hey man," he complained again, "we have _some_ rights you know or have you bastards forgotten that we're human too?"

"Will one of you shut that kid up, _please_! I can't drive another mile with him yelling like a damn maniac."

"Alright now, we're warning you. Either _be _quiet or we'll _make you_ be quiet-permanently."

Zone immediately swallowed his Adam's apple and sat still in his seat, quietly.

"And that, fellas, is how it's done," the older soldier cackled while Zone remained in the back glaring at him from behind.

By the time Watts reached the Timber Maniacs building, soldiers had the area surrounded. It was impossible for him to get inside. He decided to make himself appear as busy as a dutiful soldier along the walkway of the street. He had seen other soldiers standing in the same stance as if on watch or standby, and decided that he too would assume the role and become a guard also. Because their basic principle was to assure that no citizen was roaming around freely for the time being, it would be his best bet if he were going to fulfill Raine's wish and look after her husband. As long as he kept his eye on the Timber Maniacs building, it was all that mattered.

* * *

"...All morning long with no word from them…" Squall groaned from the flatbed. "I can't take it. I can't stay here another minute," the young man rose from his bed quickly and retrieved his gunblade, taking a moment to strap himself in the spare sheath that Kiros had left behind for him, then sheathed his gunblade inside. He grabbed a regular folk coat from the closet in the room and put it on because the air felt a bit draftier than usual. The moment he set foot outside, Robby approached him.

"Funny, I was just on my way to speak with you," Robby said lightheartedly and then took a moment to observe the armed man. "Hey, do you remember how to use that weapon now? We could use a good sword arm."

"…I'm remembering the basics, why?" It was the best lie he could come up with for now. It would serve the purpose.

"There's something of ours buried deep underground beneath that destroyed rubble where the volunteers have been. Something strange is happening in Timber or so I'm told, Galbadia has the place held captive and security is tighter than usual. Anyway, that means the usual soldiers have abandoned their stations at the site, so now's our chance to gather what's rightfully ours. We need you to tag along in case there are any lookouts and take them out. Are you game?"

_As if I really have a choice here, _Squall thought. _Wonder what it is they're retrieving? _"Sure, I'll go."

He was now curious as to what item of theirs would need recollecting without the soldiers' consent. It had to be something of use to them, but what was it? Tagging along might've been the best thing to do at the moment.

Once at the site, the men were now unmasked and clad in rugged getup, each running through the abandoned work areas until reaching a taller barn that was half destroyed, standing with its base half charred. Working quickly to push aside the debris of burnt wood and tools, and other such work related farm tools, a depression in the ground finally came into view. Robby stood over it, taking into his hands a cordless power tool to help unscrew the bolts plugged all around this particular depression.

It had been rusted shut with the days of rainfall following the bombings of the short lived battle between the civilians and soldiers. Squall watched with eager eyes, his arms folded as he stood between two taller men while a fifth young man helped Robby by removing the unfastened screws and rusty pieces that were stuck to the drainage top.

_Is everything underground for these guys?_ Squall thought as he watched them freeing the depression from its last bolt and lifting it from the ground. They slid it to the side and Robby looked back at one of the men at Squall's side, "Hey, where's that flashlight?"

The man at Squall's left immediately tossed Robby the flashlight, in which he caught and smiled then lowered himself into the deep hole while clinging to a handmade ladder that had been planted there for who knew how long. A splash emitted a second later, sounding as if Robby had jumped down to the bottom once he was halfway through the climb.

"Looks good down here," He yelled up, his voice echoing a bit before emerging from the hole. The fifth man took the initiative to follow in after him. Once he was out of sight, the blond at Squall's right bumped his shoulder against him and nodded his head to the depression as if suggesting he should follow them. Squall shook his head abruptly only to have that same man smirk and push him forward with the other older brunet standing guard behind him.

Squall took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at them, then followed them underground with the two others standing guard above.

When Zone looked through the windshield ahead, he saw a campground coming into view. There were galbadian flags all around, billowing with the high winds of the wilderness. His heart immediately stopped. It was what Rinoa had feared could happen to any of them. This was it. He had somehow been found out. They were probably going to be imprisoned at the camp and eventually killed. Seconds later, the others realized where they were and began to search frantically, as if hoping to find some way of escape.

From the looks of things, all the soldiers onboard the bus with them were armed. If the captives all stood up together to revolt, it would result in them each being shot to his or her death at the back of the bus. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he might actually die.

The buses stopped just ten yards away from the camp to unload its new prisoners. As Zone followed the others off, the older soldier slammed the hilt of his gun into the back of his neck, urging him to hurry up only causing him to fall to the ground. He grimaced on the ground a bit before being grabbed by the collar of his shirt, forced to stand. Zone realized he had made an enemy of this man because of his persistent defiance throughout their trip. Even so, he felt he had every right to question them, though foolish to do so at the same time.

Zone followed the others now with a ringing pain, holding his hands at the back of his neck to equally show his sign of surrender and to soothe the pain that had been inflicted to it.

The soldiers had the volunteers walk in a single file and enter a gated area where more people had been gathered, each of them with their hands behind their backs and their mouths taped shut. Zone realized there were a few others who hadn't seen this type of treatment, but neither had they been beaten to a pulp either—they hadn't been interrogated yet. It would soon be their turn, Zone thought, and steeled himself. There was no way he would become a sell-out to the factions. The oath was worth sacrificing his life over.

Just then another galbadian vehicle pulled up. It was a single armored truck. The radiance from its metallic sheen stung the eyes of onlookers. A couple of soldiers emerged from this truck and moved toward the base, reaching the soldiers patrolling the outer perimeter. After being permitted to pass, these soldiers continued directly through the camp walking past the gated area housing captives. Zone lost sight of them at the back of a nearby tent and walked toward the gate only to have a soldier approach him saying, "Hey, take a seat. Your time will come soon enough."

"What's going on here?" Zone asked him quickly.

"You're not supposed to be talking, that's what going on. Sit tight and you just might find out."

"Hey!" A person grabbed his arm from behind and yanked him down to the ground. It was another person from the bus he'd arrived on. "You need to put a muzzle on, man. You're gonna get us all killed!"

"…This isn't right," Zone whispered. "...We're just volunteers."

"…Yeah well, I'm not about to die for anyone, including you. So shut up and keep still!"

Zone released the breath he had been holding. He looked back at the tent where the soldiers had disappeared. He wondered what was going on, and what was about to happen to them.

The soldiers let themselves inside Lieutenant Martine's makeshift office. He looked up from his documents and grinned. "Yes, gentlemen?"

"Orders from the general, sir."

"Go ahead," He responded, sitting erectly at his desk to listen.

"General Caraway has occupied Timber and would like to get an update from your base about the outcome of your recent battle. He would like to hear this report from the commander, himself. We will escort him to Deling City right away."

"I'm afraid the commander is out on patrol at the moment and will not be able to join you right now. I will have him return to Deling City the moment he comes back from his patrol."

"By all means, we've been ordered to wait here for him."

"Patrols aren't a two hour venture here, gentlemen, this could take a few days."

"Sir, we have to get back in the city to prepare for the…" the officer's right hand man spoke out of place to his superior standing before Martine, causing all men to freeze. Apparently his input had held some meaning after all.

"…Very well," the officer said finally. "The commander is to report to the general as soon as he returns."

"Understood," answered Martine. "If you'll now excuse me, I must welcome our newest prisoners."

The group of men laughed and parted, then several soldiers returned to their vehicle and Martine approached the front gate where the prisoners had been gathered together.

Zone looked up from his seat on the ground, and lost all his color. Now that the leading officer was in sight, who knew what would happen to them next. Would they possibly be beaten and shackled, and later killed? Was he honestly ready to die for Timber?

Now was the moment of truth.

Underground, Squall was left to follow the sound of their footsteps splashing against the sewer water inside the dark and damp labyrinth. It seemed to be an extension of the sewers and had probably been dug out in secret over the years. There were lamp posts above them, but no light emitted from them and gave a sense of abandonment through the dark void. Robby led the way with his flashlight shining upon the map in his hold, making turn after turn and seldom looking up from the paper. Eventually, he led the men to a wooden door planted into the gritty wall made up of stone and mud. It was a dug out room with a smell of mold and dirt reeking through.

"Who drew this map? This place isn't even marked on it," Robby muttered his complaints.

"How can you even tell that we were going the right direction? I didn't see you look up at all," the man opposite him spoke. Squall followed them silently.

"I have skills, you know…but they could've had the decency to mark this damn place off. We just found it by accident. Guess I'll take the courtesy of marking it now, I'd like to be able to find it a lot faster next time."

"Quit complaining, let's just get this thing and be on our way," the other man said, watching Robby remove a pencil and place a tiny check in the area on the map where he thought they were in.

"What's the rush? Getting to this _thing_ is not going to be so simple," he picked the lock and let them inside of the dark cove of the room. Robby folded the map into his pocket and covered his mouth with a hand towel as the shone on the walls until a crate came into his view. "Or is it?" he muffled beneath his towel, "Who's got the damn crowbar?"

"I do," the other man responded as he handed it over to Robby in the dark. Robby grabbed for it desperately, half blinded by the thickness of the darkness inside.

"Take the flashlight and shine it on the box, will ya?" He handed it to same man and faced the box again. With the light illuminating the area, Robby shoved the jagged end of the crowbar into the top side of the crate and yanked at it until it opened slightly, "Shine it directly into the box, I wanna see if this is the right one."

When the light pulled through, he saw the evidence of wires and a large metallic base.

"Looks like this is our lady," Robby grinned and looked back at the two of them. "We have to be sure that this baby is stored away safely before we come back to reclaim these. It's a shame she's not assembled yet. Would've been marvelous if we could have her all dolled up and shipped off to Deling City for some major fireworks—I hear they're into that sort of thing, anyway, you know?"

Squall's eyes immediately widened. _It's a bomb?_

Both Robby and the other young man had been laughing, only to cease when the amnesiac found no humor in his joke. Robby shrugged him off and lifted the box up quickly, "Oh well, let's just get this little lady and make a run for it for now. We'll come back for the other stuff later."

Meanwhile Watts' guard duty had progressed slowly throughout the day until a couple of soldiers past him by slowly, muttering between one another along the sidewalks o f the street. Quickly, he focused all his energy to his hearing, priding his uncanny gift of eavesdropping in the most daring of situations, this being one of those occasions.

There shadows were cast upon the buildings behind them, towering them. "Are you sure, sergeant?" the man in the red armor asked the sergeant in blue armor.

"I'm positive! That building reeks with rebel activity, sir."

"You said it's the complex downtown, right? If so, that location would be perfect for it…" Watts' heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, sir," the sergeant answered. "One of its residents gave me some trouble late last night. He seems to know more than he's willing to tell… Saw him head into that Maniacs' place this morning," Suddenly, Watts realized he knew this particular's soldiers voice.

"Normally I would have phoned this in, but the general is tired of reports that lack real progression. We'll have to take matters into our own hands to ensure positive results, if not now, then later tonight because that's when our heavier artillery arrives."

"Should I prepare the others, captain…?"

"Yes, do so quickly. We may even put a dent in the rebel's base if this home is the home of its leader, like you said. And if it's not, we'll have to keep wiping them all out until we find the right one. If we destroy enough residences, they'll soon give up the information we want. This would make a fine report later on."

"I would hope so. Then maybe we could finally go back to Deling City in a couple days. I could use a break," the soldier grunted.

"I think we all could. Good work, sergeant, get back to it."

"Yes, sir," he saluted his sergeant and ran down the street opposite from Laguna's office. The captain eventually ordered the other soldiers to move about and Watts decided that now was his chance to move out. He scampered off toward the Timber Maniacs building before he was spotted. The boy ran inside and closed the door behind quickly, frightening the secretary at its entrance. She wondered what would cause a galbadian soldier to seek shelter.

Watts turned around chuckling a bit at first before clearing his throat and assuming his role, "Sorry…Just…r-running a drill!" He laughed nervously again, only to have the woman lift an eyebrow at him. Then the door down the stretched hallway opened, and a man emerged with a cup of hot coffee in one hand and a thin stack of papers in the other. His hair was pulled and secured by a band to create a flowing pony tail. He slipped the paper in his hold underneath his arm and then tucked the pencil between his fingers behind his ear. Watts immediately recognized this man as Rinoa's father.

A brief moment went by before Laguna realized a soldier was in the room with himself and the secretary. His eyes shifted from the text of the paper and over to red mask of the soldier. The moment of silence persisted. Watts immediately straightened his back, taking a deep breath until the moment of awkward, unnerving silence bypassed. He was encouraged to hold his ground considering that someone needed to tell Laguna about the definite threats upon his family's lives among others.

Laguna immediately recognized this particular soldier's nervous stance, and ushered for him to meet with him at the back of the hall. Watts immediately took accepted the invitation and had started walking toward Laguna; however, the secretary at the counter rose from her seat as if to protest, but Laguna, seeing her from the down the hall where he stood, halted her advance, "it's okay, Grace, he's with me."

"Oh okay," the ginger haired woman smiled, turning around and waving to Laguna who grinned and brought his eyes back to Watts'.

"Still parading in that uniform?" Laguna spoke to him when they were finally in the privacy of his writing office. It was small and somewhat cramped despite the olive colored walls, said to help expand any room because of its natural hue. Scattered papers usurped the surface cherry wooden desk. There were plants both real and fake, placed in the corners and atop file cabinets around in his office. Aside from the papers upon his desk was a picture frame that faced Laguna, which most likely contained his family. Watts figured it was his attempt to create a stress free environment. He hoped Laguna would handle the news well. "What brings you here, Watts?"

"I almost don't know where to start," Watts responded immediately. The day was a blur.

"Take a breath and talk to me, son," the older man said while placing the papers in his hold on his desk, then giving Watts his full attention.

"First thing first, I just over heard some soldiers talking about destroying an apartment building, and I think it's yours. It looked like that guy from last night, the soldier."

Laguna narrowed his eyes remembering the same man. "When did they say they would do this?"

"I don't know, but I think I heard the captain saying something about destroying it as soon as tonight. They said they'd need to wait until their heavy weapons arrived…uh, heavier artillery, sir."

He looked away from the masked young man, "We have to get Raine and Rinoa out of there."

"About Raine, sir…"

Laguna immediately retracted his eyes, looking into the red shade of Watts' galbadian mask, "What, what happened?"

"I had to escort her to the soldiers earlier because they were going to raid your home. She made Rinoa stay behind and hide. Raine is in galbadian custody, but Rinoa is still hiding there."

Laguna's eyes widened, but he soon relaxed them and folded his arms.

Watts followed up, "It was to trick the guards into thinking that everyone vacated the premises."

"Yeah, I know," Laguna sighed. "Where have they taken Raine and the others?"

"To the jail as a temporary prison, and then they'll be transferred to the D-District Prison later, sir."

"The desert…?" The older man placed a hand over his chin in thought, "…First, we need to get Rinoa out of there."

"The area is covered with soldiers, sir. It looks impossible to storm right in," Watts said with a soft groan. "The only way to get there is by taking those soldiers head on or going underground, which is impossible."

Laguna dropped his hand from his chin and stared at Watts with a wide grin, "Nothing is impossible. They might think we're confined, but we know this city topside and beneath. Watts I need to you to do something for me, if you don't mind."

"I was born to do this, sir!"

The older man grinned, the aging lines showing at the corners of his mouth, "Good, that's the spirit!" Laguna walked over to his bookshelf and removed an dusty older book, opening it to reveal an ancient map of the city streets and the passageways below. He lifted the first sheet to reveal replicas beneath it. Laguna took one and handed it to Watts. "I know a way you can enter the sewers from here. You'll use the sewers to reach a friend of mine outside of Timber. His name is Kiros. When you get there, I want you to tell him…it's time."

"Okay, but what about Rinoa, sir?"

"Let me worry about her, you just focus on getting there, alright?"

"Alright," Watts sighed in relief.

"We've got to be quick about this. We're all counting on you, Watts," the older man said suddenly.

Immediately there was deep staggering feeling caught up within Watts' heart. Fear, Anxiety, and excitement all flushed through him. Somehow, he felt that he was speaking with one of the leaders of Timber's faction. Looking into Laguna's eyes, there was no way to deny it. Watts knew Laguna was keeping a secret; however, at this particular moment, he felt that he would do anything he could to help Timber achieve its independence.

* * *

_Notepaper:_

_

* * *

_

_Hey everyone! Sorry about the long delay. I've been here and there. I've got the next set of chapters ready to fire away so get ready for some major scenes. Thanks for the feedback. It took a while for this story to take off, just like my other current story, but I'm sure it'll be worth it. Glad that you guys are still reading, I really appreciate you taking your time and also I appreciate the feedback. Alright then, this is me saying take it easy and I'll see you really soon with the next update. Adios._

_StardustRay_


	7. The Lion's Shadow

_**Fate, Wild**_

_Chapter VII: The Lion's Shadow_

His eyes were glued to the crate containing the bomb as it was being loaded into Robby's truck. He looked back once more at the vacated site, his heart racing between seconds. The rebels were indeed becoming stronger, to have included a bomb threat upon Deling City—he was outraged. There was no way he would partake in the bombing of his own home; no way could he tolerate hearing anyone speak ill of it.

"Now what, Robby? Getting the bomb was easier than we all thought it would be. We've got enough time to make a couple more trips into that storage. We should gather everything while we have the chance," said the man who had been helping Robby underground all the while. The two taller men were silent as usual, folding their arms and awaiting his answer.

"Yeah, you're right," Robby answered, digging his left hand into his rusty brown hair to scratch his scalp while his right hand planted the truck's keys into his pants pocket. Whether he scratched his head while in thought or because the dust and mold underground had irritated it so, was entirely debatable. His face, although appearing young, had seen its share of hardship. Squall saw lines of stress forming at his eyes and mouth. The same could be said for the others. They must've been fighting this long and strenuous battle since they were all of age, he thought. Maybe it had been so long that a bomb plight would be just enough to end their struggle once and for all. Whatever their reasons, he would not stand aside and do nothing when it came to his home. No matter how great their struggle, he would not have Galbadia's capital destroyed knowing he could've done something to prevent it from happening. "…If you guys are game, we could knock this out in another hour or two and make Kiros happy, what say you?"

"Let's do it," the taller men agreed and trotted toward the abandoned farm. The younger man nodded his head, and then followed closely behind them. Squall took one step forward, but stopped, concocting a plan within.

The others, jogging, had made great progress ahead now.

Robby sensed that the amnesiac was not following everyone and came to a complete stop as well, "What are you waiting for, memory loss guy?" He asked him, turning about only to find the hilt of Squall's gunblade falling into his face. Once he was laid out on the ground, Squall searched his pockets and retrieved the keys to the tan truck behind. He jumped in; thankful the door was left unlocked, and tossed his gunblade on the passenger's seat. He then started its engine and pulled off immediately.

The others were close to the site when they realized the truck was on the move. By the time they turned around, only the ghostly sound of its engine and the kickback of dust remained. Their truck was nowhere in sight, along with Robby and the taciturn teen. Robby's men all ran back and found him on the ground, unconscious. The blow to his face was serious, but it wasn't life threatening.

When Robby finally came to, he felt immense pain at his forehead where a large red bruise occupied it.

He groaned first, touching his forehead, "What the hell happened?"

"That guy you recruited just _made_ us. He took off with the bomb _and_ our truck!" One of the taller men said angrily.

"Dammit! Ow!" Robby regrettably found that yelling only worsened the pain. "What the hell…Who is that guy anyway?"

"I don't know, but Kiros seems to take a special interest in him. I didn't trust him since the beginning," The younger man said from his seat in the dirt beside Robby.

"Same here," The others agreed except Robby. "Not even sure why you invited him now that I think about it," one of the men muttered.

"Oh, you know me; I just hate to leave anyone out. I was kinda hoping for the extra security, but obviously it backfired. …If anything," the rusty haired man heaved a jagged sigh and then continued, "…When Kiros finds out about this, he's gonna be pissed. He'll probably wish he never let that traitor onboard-that is, if that kid was ever a _traitor_ at all… It wasn't an ordinary sword, was it? No one here, not one of us uses a weapon like that."

"Not even Laguna," the injured man prattled on. "I wonder where he's headed to. He's got the bomb, but…we don't have to worry about him using it on us; it's not even armed, but it's still _ours_ nonetheless _and_ dangerous in galbadian hands. Let's get back to Kiros."

Squall had noticed a fork down the road on their way to the wrecked site earlier. If he took the path to the west, he would be well on his way to Deling. He remembered the campsite was on the edge of Deling City right before the terrain became Timber's plains. It had been too long since he reported to his platoon, and he wasn't sure if the lieutenant was still alive. He had abandoned them involuntarily all for the sake of gaining knowledge about the enemy, but it seemed there was nothing more to be learned from them but that both their attacks and numbers were growing stronger. It wasn't exactly his intention to land himself in the heart of the rebel's domain, but the choice to stay for as long as he had had been his decision alone. Even so, there was no excuse as to why he had abandoned his own platoon for so long.

What would the lieutenant think of him? Would he label him a poor leader because of his actions thus far? Squall hated to think that anyone saw him as inadequate. He had spent too long training to be a leader, training to have his moment on the battlefield only to have it gone up into flames because of one costly decision. Then a grave thought entered his mind.

What would his father think of him?

The eager young man sped down the highway. He had a ways of travel before the campgrounds came into sight, and it was too soon to think about anything that would mean his demise later.

The sky had grown dark by the time he spotted what seemed to be the galbadian base, and he was thankful. There had been one moment of sheer panic when he noticed the fuel had decreased rather remarkably since he first began the unexpected road trip. He pulled the vehicle onto the outer perimeter of the campsite on two accounts, one being that the troops might mistake his identity and open fire, and the second was because there was a bomb on the backseat. He wanted to dispose of it somewhere out in the wilderness, but burying it might be like returning it to the rebels since many of their hidden secrets lay underground.

Bringing it into the custody of his men to be certain that it was never armed and put aside would be the best possible action for now.

The teenage commander reached for the gunblade at his side, still set in place on the passenger's seat, then he opened the door to the truck. He stepped out into the coldness of night. It was certainly a long drive there, a drive he was sure to never take again while wearing regular clothing. The next time he was ever in Timber, he would be sure to clad himself in galbadian armor. Only the sight of a galbadian flag could trigger such a thought. One look at the army base and he was reminded of Galbadia's might, power, and most of all, its honor, despite all that he had learned of his father's dirty business. He could argue that both sides made valuable arguments as to why their system failed; however, he could never stand against his father in this power struggle. In all honesty, Squall was intimidated by the general. Years of battle experience versus a week of misfortunate knowledge, it was ludicrous to think that fighting with the rebels would amount to their victory. How could he take the enemy's side over his father's anyway? He had to be out of his mind to ever consider such thing.

He walked to the camp base with his face hidden by the hood of the black coat he had picked up earlier before leaving with Robby to the farm site. It would do well to keep the crisp air at bay. Upon approaching the camp, he saw there was a new addition to the area surrounding it: a gated area storing accumulated prisoners.

It must've been after the battle, Squall thought, that the soldiers had gone through following their original orders to gather all rebels and question them. This was good on their behalf; it would show he had been too busy to give a follow up report to the general so soon. Even though the situation was out of his control, he would never admit to being held captive by the rebel forces. He was unsure how his father might react to the idea of him being behind enemy lines, not a full day went by and already he had been captured. He would appear incompetent and most of all, weak.

As he neared the camp, Squall was approached by a soldier as expected. He prepared to reintroduce himself for an immediate clearance charge.

In the gated area, Zone lay with his head to the ground having been interrogated and beaten mostly by the soldiers he had arrived with. His mouth was taped shut and his hands were cuffed behind his back. His mind was in a distant place, wandering back to days before when he swore to Rinoa that he would never get caught. Maybe she was correct from the beginning. If he hadn't had gone to the volunteer site to gather information, he would never be in this predicament now.

Earlier that morning before the lockdown order was given, something in the back of his mind told him he should've bypassed it, but he chose to follow his heart rather than follow the fear that equally sprang from this idea in particular. Zone opened his eyes to look at the sky. With the flame torches overhead polluting the natural view, he was barely able to see the stars. It reminded him of Timber. _Things would be so much easier without Galbadia's presence, like that damn torch,_ he thought. It was burning and polluting the air, choking the life out of everyone instead of providing warmth and simple light. Even with its main purpose being to bring light to the camp, it shone arrogantly, like Galbadia.

"Who are you?" A soldier's raised voice over at the front of the camp and Zone widened his eyes to get a better look. Then he fought against his tired body to sit upright. "Commander!" The soldier cried aloud. When Zone was finally able to sit up, he saw a hooded figure walking before the soldier who had yelled out near the front. The soldier was now escorting him. Before he lost sight of him, Zone realized the unknown person had dark brown hair, but nothing else could be gained as the figure darted quickly toward the tents.

_Commander…? _It was too dark to make out any other detail of this particular man, but Zone felt that he should watch closely as he was most likely the galbadian army's commander, a figure that was never mentioned until now.

Just like before, the soldiers disappeared behind the tent and out of his sight. Zone groaned from his place on the ground, the chilly wind stung the open cuts and bruises upon his face. Then for a moment, Zone felt that he had heard men calling out behind him, an eerie whimper muffled by the tape upon their mouths. Other soldiers stationed outside of the gate slammed their guns against its iron railing, causing them to quiet down at once.

Suddenly the soldier who had escorted the commanding officer returned with a few more soldiers and ran out into the wilderness toward a vehicle parked far away. Zone kept his eyes peeled.

At that time, Squall was frozen in the lieutenant's office, as if having seen a ghost.

"Commander Caraway, it's good to see you. Thought we'd never see you again," Lieutenant Martine laughed heartedly as he rose from his seat to shake Squall's hand. Squall accepted and returned his gesture slowly. He had wondered if the man had been all right since that night. Seeing Martine in person caused him immense relief as well as a moment of puzzlement.

"Thought I'd never be back," the young commander answered quietly and unsurely, looking up at the short ceiling. He suddenly had a moment of claustrophobia. The lieutenant grinned and released his hand, then gestured for him to take a seat which Squall did after returning his eyes back to Martine's. "I wasn't sure of the outcome of our battle or of your well being, sir. Things were a little complicated when I came to and I couldn't get back sooner."

"There's no need to worry, though I do agree, it was a bit chaotic at first with waking up in that godforsaken forest under some smelling salts provided by my men. By this time, most of the rebels had escaped, been killed, or captured. Out there," he motioned his hand in the direction of the front gate, "is a remnant of the rebel army that attacked us that night. We've spent this week interrogating them, but we barely know anything."

"About that," Squall took a deep breath, "I know a good bit of what's happening now-there's a lot I'd like to speak with my father about, actually."

"Speaking of the general, he'd like to see you a.s.a.p." Martine spoke with sudden urgency at the mention of his father, making Squall feel a bit uncomfortable. "He wishes to hear of our latest accomplishments directly from you."

"But I haven't exactly been here…I don't think I'm the right person to represent our report."

"You could report what you saw out there. I imagine it was a hell of a ride, no?"

"More or less," Squall shrugged.

"Well then, with that being said, I believe you should get ready to see the general, commander," the lieutenant uttered while rising from his seat once more. Squall lowered his eyes to the desk as if worried.

"Martine…"

"Yes, sir?"

"What are you planning to do with those captured rebels out there?" Squall had asked, lifting his eyes and awaiting his answer.

"Well, since we've no more use of them, I figured we could exterminate them tomorrow. We'll be ready for your orders upon your return, sir."

"No," Squall muttered, standing to his feet. He faced Martine slowly and held his breath. He could think of no one at this moment but Jesse, Jesse and perhaps the girl in the owl mask who had helped him to understand why the people resulted to such drastic measures. He hadn't exactly agreed to the bombing of Deling City, but he would be no better than the corrupted soldiers if others like Jesse's blood stained his hands with the executions of the captured rebel army. "I want you to continue to keep them as prisoners for now."

"What do you suppose we do, become overrun with them, sir?" Martine grinned.

"Don't take any more prisoners in. If the base is under attack, then you'll defend it, killing anyone who tries to approach, but as for our current prisoners, just leave them be for now."

"…Hmm. You know your father would rather we kill as many of them as possible."

"…" Squall sighed and looked away first and then brought his eyes back in line with Martine's, "Listen, it's _my_ order as commander. Don't kill any of the rebels within our camp."

"Understood then, _Commander_," his grin had yet to falter.

"Also," Squall spoke again, "I was able to retrieve a bomb from the enemy. It's still in the truck right outside of camp. I had the soldiers look after it for now, but we need to confiscate it as soon as possible."

"We'll get right on it, commander," Squall immediately wondered why the lieutenant was being overly formal.

"Thanks," the young man said hesitantly, then marched out of Martine's tent of an office space. He was relieved to find that the lieutenant was still alive and that their base was still managing even without his presence, not that his being there would truly make a difference since he had only stayed there but for a day. Now all that was left was to appear before his father for a minor briefing. What Squall would say to him later was beyond even him. There was so much to report, with so little time, and not to mention a hint of confusion. What was he doing? Sparing the lives of the very people responsible for the countless attacks on his father's life, what was happening to him? Was he really so weak?

_No…I was just….I…._ the brunet sighed in defeat, and then went to change into his uniform in preparation of meeting his father.

* * *

The room was quiet and dark. The illumination from the streetlights poured into the apartment through pearly blinds, but it was barely any light at all. She was relying mostly on her natural night vision to see anything inside. The soldiers were still on the move below, never clearing a path, never taking a break. Rinoa had watched several groups leave and return as if discussing _her_ building, her room, in particular.

There in silence the girl had all sorts of thoughts. She had had to talk herself out of defying her mother's orders plenty as the day went on, each time becoming more desperate than the last. With no new updates on what had happened to everyone and the sun gone down, she was beyond worried. She hadn't slept, hadn't eaten. She did nothing but wait in the darkness. Perhaps waiting for a second raid into her home or perhaps her death? Where was her mother taken and how was she? Where was her father, had he been alright at the office? Was he allowed to leave? What had happened to Watts after the incident this morning? Where was Zone?

Her parents and friends were all that consumed her mind. "What was that?"

Rinoa had heard a noise rattling about coming from somewhere in the house. With this deafening silence, the noise could spawn from anywhere and be mistaken to come from another place just as easily. In other words, a person might be able to hear a pin drop from her room and believe it came from the kitchen, but it actually happened in the bathroom down the hall. Even so, she was in no mood for guessing games. The girl reached for the steel baseball bat at her bedside, having only played one actual game with it once in her childhood and remembered that she was horrible as a batter. Her aim, although crucial to her survival at the moment, would never stop her from choosing a more suitable weapon. The only person who would need to worry about her swinging was a possible burglar or soldier, since she swung like a drunken wild woman only with slightly better aim. It was either miss or hit, and there was no recovering from her hits.

Maybe the noise was her imagination. She had probably heard something in the apartment beside hers, but then again, the people had been collected from their homes already. She was completely alone yet again. Wasn't she always alone? Even when everyone rushed underground to escape the guards, she had been separated. It wasn't until later that she found help along the way, but why was she always alone? Always needing saving… She had been left behind only to find the boy underground. What had happened to the boy in the fox mask anyway?

_-thump-_

There it was again. Her heart immediately began to beat faster, harder. The girl swallowed her breath and decided to brave the sound for now. She would not be able to rest until the source was found.

Rinoa eased off her bed and sauntered toward her bedroom door, bat in hand, preparing to open it slightly. Then there was the sound of a creaking door and soft footsteps in the hallway. The girl immediately abandoned her bravery and lunged toward her bed, jumping on it and falling to the other side and out of the view of whoever was walking the hallway in her home. The bat was still clung tightly in her hand. Rinoa was amazed that she moved so quickly and quietly. _Oh no, the door! I didn't lock it,_ the moment of admiration soon passed when she thought of her room door.

_-clink-_

This time, it sounded as if someone was grabbing a hold to her doorknob. Rinoa couldn't have been more correct.

When the golden doorknob began to turn, she knew it was over. She would have to fight to defend herself or be taken away by a soldier, and there was no way she would allow the latter to happen. Someone was about to get knocked out with a bat, and it wasn't going to be her. In that brief moment, Rinoa took a deep breath and stood up visibly, readying her bat. She thought of charging and screaming at the top of her lungs like a maniac, petrifying her attacker before he could make a single move, but tonight was not the case.

The door opened slowly. It felt like forever until a man wearing a mask stepped into the doorframe of her room. Rinoa, for a moment in the darkness, thought the mask resembled boy's orange fox mask from before. "Rinoa," he whispered softly.

"…How did you get in here?" she tightened her grip on the bat, unsure of his intentions. And why on earth had he known her name?

"Listen to me," he whispered in a vaguely familiar tone. With no light to see him, Rinoa was still a bit frightened. "You're in danger here, so we need to go right now."

"How do I know you're not lying? I can't even tell who you are."

"It's me, Rin," She saw him lifting his hands defensively even in the dark, "It's dad."

"Daddy!" Rinoa dropped the bat immediately and ran to his opened arms, embracing him tightly. Finally, she looked up at his covered face and touched her hand to the material. "Why are you wearing that mask? You're…"

"We'll talk about that later, but for now we have to get out of here."

"Okay," she said softly and followed his lead as he faced the door.

Outside of the room, she was led to her parent's bedroom. She maneuvered quickly behind him, following him through the bedroom and into the bathroom. Inside, there was an extra closet that Rinoa had always considered their storage bin, but she was surprised to find the man kneeling down and lifting up a square lid in the floor.

"What the," Rinoa gasped, "I've never seen that before."

Laguna chuckled a bit and then crawled down into it, stepping on a ladder and making his way down. "It's safe to climb down now. I'll help you to the ladder, but I need to stay at the top to close the lid, so just drop down beside me."

"Oh…okay," Rinoa whispered, wondering how he expected them both to fit on the ladder, but because it was the only way out, she decided to go through with it. The girl climbed down into the hole in the floor, surprised at the spaciousness once she was beneath the surface. Her masked father allowed her to climb down, thankful that the torchlight from the bottom had illuminated it a bit, albeit faintly. Once she was safely past him, he reached up and closed the lid tightly then headed down the ladder after her.

It was a long way down.

Being that their home was located on the second floor, Rinoa figured the ladder was built within the building. They were within the walls of the other rooms, and going lower. "Dad, where _are _we going?" Hadn't the meeting hall been discovered? Wouldn't there be soldiers down below. Now that she noticed it, a certain chemical consumed the air.

"Just keep climbing down, quickly."

She wasn't sure if she wanted to. It led to the sewers, no doubt. The stench from below was becoming overbearing; however, any smell was better than the confined air she had been inhaling all day long.

When Rinoa reached what seemed to be about midway in their climb, a light sprang up all around them. Immediately thereafter there was a thunderous roar accompanied by a burst of flame. The walls shook around them, crumbling, and suddenly the ladder itself broke away. Rinoa screamed when the bars rattled and failed. Her grip was lost and she plunged down into the darkness beneath them.

"RINOA!" Laguna released his hold on the ladder not a moment before a second explosion erupted. This time the building was left to shatter explosively, engulfed in flames.

* * *

Raine heard the explosion from the jail cell she shared with the other residents who had been removed from their homes. She already knew it was meant to hit her home. The moment she had heard soldiers discussing it amongst each other, she felt that leaving Rinoa behind was foolish. It was wishful thinking to actually believe that Galbadia would allow her to leave after only a couple of hours in captivity. Raine closed her eyes, hoping to see past her own naivety in the situation.

"What do they hope to prove by destroying our homes?" Men and women chatter amidst the inner jail cells. The large group had been broken up and scattered about the wide facility to avoid overcrowding. "They want to leave us stranded so we'd have no other choice but to depend on them."

"They're just trying to scare us into thinking that there's no hope, and make us confess," a woman muttered to another woman across from Raine. Raine looked around in a daze, surrounded by people who were standing, seated, or just as dazed as she was, in a state of confusion and panic. Galbadia was winning the battle so far, and it seemed that all that was left was chaos. She had always lived her life in what seemed like a fantasy world, only reading of events such as these in newspapers, reluctantly, most of the time. However, Raine was no idiot. She knew of the harshness of their reality. She knew that at any moment, the little freedom that they had could be taken away from them just as her son had been stolen away from her long ago, and everything could end with one order from the general. Now that it was actually in the process of happening, she wished she had been better prepared; she and her countrymen.

"I won't tell them anything. They'll have to kill me!" the people carried on around her.

Rinoa… Was Rinoa safe? She had most likely lost the one person she tried her best to protect.

Then the main door at the front of the walkway opened where a few officers and the warden entered. The warden, an average height man, led the group of men, all clad in navy blue uniforms. The medals of his cap and badge were polished to kingdom come, reflecting the ceiling lights all around the room. He took long strides down the aisle of the moderately full jailhouse.

"Did you all hear that explosion just now?" He stepped hard down the walkway. The air was thick with silence, so heavy around that one could hear the dust upon the floor being crushed beneath his steel toe boots. Reaching the end of the walkway, he turned about quickly with a wide smirk, "It was the sound of your leader being blown to bits."

Random gasps were heard about the room at first, but Raine looked up toward him quickly, struck with sudden curiosity in the nature of his words. Her eyes immediately locked with his. She stared into the brown eyes of the short, ginger haired man with great interest, her electrifying pools silently ridiculing him. He stood at center fold, breaking their heated stare and then turning about from cell to cell at the gathered people, feeding on their worried glances to him and to each other, all except the woman whom he had stared upon momentarily. Her glare was fierce, sharp, and wary.

"Damn it's crowded in here," he whispered softly, though loud enough for them to hear, then continued, "I'd love to sit and chat with all of you, but my patience has run thin, along with the other officers here, since you folks are so bent on not saying a word to us in your single interrogations. We've had to kill at least three of you since earlier today."

Raine's eyes saddened momentarily, giving though to his report and wondering was true at all. She immediately took a deep breath and folded her arms, digging her fingers into skin of her forearms to fend off her irritability. Nothing irritated her more than the sound of his voice. He seemed to enjoy hearing his own voice, that and the reverberations of his boots hitting the floor. He loved the vanity of these sounds more than attempting to speak sense to them, to say something useful, not that she could expect much honesty from a galbadian soldier or a warden for that matter. Suddenly, Raine realized why she disliked him so much: he was both a soldier and the warden.

"Though I may have enjoyed the endings of those few interrogations, I'm no executioner, so we've decided to handle this as humanely as possible. I want you all to take a good look at everyone else in this room. There is a very good chance that the person before you, behind you, or at your side is indeed, a rebel. We've only gathered people at specific points in this city for a reason. These areas were suspected of high rebel activity. This does not mean we are finished occupying Timber, but this plan was executed simply to eliminate possible future threats to Galbadia. I am convinced you all have a hand to play in the underground factions; therefore, you will all be prosecuted for conspiring against the very life of General Caraway."

Some people immediately began whimpering at his words. Raine's eyes angered, catching his attention once more.

"Please don't think that we, as officers, are heartless. I am taking the best possible action in this grave time. You should thank me for sparing your lives. We were supposed to get a direct order from Commander Caraway, but as other things came up, his presence here was cancelled-I should say this, the commander is not as lenient as I am. He would have very well ordered your executions; such is the price of conspiring against his father."

"Now," he abandoned his grin, "we will gather you all to board the bus once it's arrived. Its arrival can range anywhere from tomorrow to the next few days. I suggest you get comfortable here, since you won't be leaving anytime soon."

Raine continued to glare at him as he turned away from her, and marched out of the walkway, exiting the room. A few moments later, the soldiers triggered the lights off, initialing bedtime.

* * *

Squall had finally arrived at his home in Deling City, the very mansion and heart of all Galbadia. It towered him. The length it took to reach his family's estate seemed to have tripled since he had last been home. Within the dark night, the normally wondrous landscape had now emitted a foreboding aura, one that the young commander felt he could not ignore. Standing before the mahogany double doors, he felt insignificant; however, Squall mentored to himself quietly. Regardless of what his father might think of him, he had done all that he could in every situation he had faced. Squall steeled himself for a confrontation with his father. He was now ready.

"Dad," Squall spoke as soon as he entered into the general's office. "Sir," he called out to him when he saw Richard staring out at the night view displayed in the window behind his desk. Because of all the lighting in the city, the stars were barely visible.

"Squall, I see you've returned," he said while turning to face Squall directly. The young man stepped forward, closer to his desk and was now standing in the middle of the room. He saluted his father in full, ready to give his honest report. "I'd like an update about your forces, commander," Caraway spoke as if reading his son's body language and the thoughts swirling about his mind.

"Yes, sir," _I don't know what to make of this report considering I'm the only one confused about all that's happened so far. Oh well, here it goes… _Squall relaxed his saluted hand and rested both hands at his sides. "We arrived at the base with ease days ago; however, it came under attack upon the first night of our arrival. I, along with Lieutenant Martine, was able to stop the enemy and scatter their forces to the nearby forest. The lieutenant was injured and we decided to pull back at that time. Not before long, I found myself behind enemy lines and was able to learn some vital information. Their main base is located in—"

"Timber, yes I know," Richard had interrupted. "We've had a few breakthroughs while you were out patrolling the perimeter. I now have the entire city of Timber occupied and the troops are gathering all those who have been found guilty of associating with the rebels."

_What?_ _I knew it was being held captive, but I didn't realize he had been informed so quickly. They've actually started to make arrests?_ Squall lowered his eyes to the floor of the room, his thoughts getting the better of him.

"What is it?" the general asked as he walked around his desk, leaning his bottom against its front for a temporary seat.

"It's nothing," the younger brunet lied, looking up to his father immediately. "…If I may continue, sir?"

"Please," Genera Caraway nodded his head, insisting Squall continued.

"…I've come across some of the weapons to be used by the rebel army. I was able to confiscate a bomb that was in their possession…and I highly suspect that Deling City was its target."

"They meant to destroy all of Deling City with a bomb?"

"It seems that way, sir," Squall answered while taking a deep breath.

"…" the general closed his eyes momentarily and heaved an exasperating sigh. He then opened his eyes with an accompanying smile, "I didn't think they would go so far." Squall was surprised to hear him chuckling, "Here I was thinking they were only good with shotguns, farm tools, and homemade grenades as the reports insist. A bomb…so that's what they've been cooking up-after all these years."

Squall didn't understand why, but his heart raged behind his chest ribcage.

"Is that all for your report, son?"

"That's all," for a moment, the boy felt unclean, as if he had betrayed someone. But how could he? This was his home. He was entitled to report back to his father.

"Good, I'm happy you're doing well."

"Thank you, sir, I look forward to going back to the base to continue our fight."

"That won't be necessary," the general muttered as he pushed himself from the desk and returned to his chair that had been rolled beneath his oak wooden desk. He rested his hands at its leather cast top, "I've also been busy while you were away, Squall." Richard faced his son with the smile that had sustained, "I've been in this office, in this position of leadership for quite some time, possibly longer than my forefathers before me. The last few generations seemed to have trouble eliminating this rebel threat, each doing only so much, or so little about it and now it's grown into what we see today: a cancerous nuisance. But things will be different now. I intend to end it once and for all. I will not have you step in after me with this same problem on your hands, my son. It can be done. The rebels can and will be annihilated."

"I now have the evidence, or your word rather, that will allow me to go forth with this operation," Caraway had continued. Taking a soft breath and relaxing his face, "I have an army of men returning from Esthar. You should know that these men are the best in class. You trained with them when you were coming about a few years ago. They will be certain that the rebel act stops _now_. If the enemy persists and does not change its ways, I will have my soldiers _crush_ them."

"With all due respect, sir, is that necessary?" Squall spoke suddenly, surprising even himself. In all his life, he had never once spoken up against his father's word. It showed a great deal of disrespect.

"What do you mean? Of course it's necessary. Those people won't quit until we're _all_ dead."

"They're not even," Squall took a moment to fight against his caving throat, though he wished he could silence himself more than anything, "…they're not capable of winning even against the standard troops we have there _now_. Don't you think that sending a war happy squadron is overkill?"

Richard stared at his son blankly. "How can you stand there and tell me that the enemy had a bomb that was targeted for our home, and then in the same breath tell me that they're not capable of winning?"

"Because…I…" What was he to say, why did he even open his mouth at all? He knew it sounded foolish. What was he thinking? Even so, he followed through. Squall had been raised to state his concerns with or without anyone's approval, even his father's; that is, only when the situation wasn't as grave. He needed to be strong not only for himself, but for the people who had died trying to hold a conference with the man standing opposite of him in the room now. If he had to fall into Galbadia's shadow to become the people's mediator, then so be it. It was time to end the ignorance, the madness. Squall carried on, "…I don't think killing everyone is necessary. I do believe that these issues can be sorted out. If you actually took the time to listen to them, there would be no need for—"

"What's this?" Caraway looked upon his son quizzically, a fit of chuckles following, rumbling underneath his breath. "…So you've had some time to study them, is it? Now you think you know their every thought?"

"No, I won't claim to know all that, but I _do_ know that they're not aiming to kill you. They just want to talk."

"You found a bomb in their keep, correct? I think that rings loud and clear what their intentions are."

"I know it sounds bad, but…I could've been mistaken," The young man took a deep breath and looked about himself. "…It wasn't even armed yet. I took it and disposed of it before it could be used."

"Then how would you know it was targeted for the city?" Richard approached him slowly, staring into his son's darting eyes. "You've been…listening to them, haven't you?"

"…" Squall's eyes finally returned to his fathers. He swallowed the knot in his throat.

"…It was a bad decision, making you into a commander so soon," the general sighed and looked away from his son. "How can a person be so intelligent and so powerful, and yet be so naïve? I had hoped you would see the truth for yourself and realize the actions that I would need to take in order to gain progress, to gain their utmost respect and obedience."

_Obedience..? These are people's lives… They're not animals to be trained. _Squall's heart burned within, "But I _have _seen the truth! I'm not denying the fact that the rebels have bombs in their possession, and neither am I saying that we should do nothing about it, but I believe there's another route we can take to avoid the bloodshed. There are people younger than me fighting in this battle. I've watched them die with my own eyes. Those aren't _just_ rumors like you've been telling me this entire time, dad. There are things happening to those people that go unreported by your soldiers. They're doing things that misrepresent us, or the idea I thought should represent us. You can't run a country with fear, not all of our fathers reigned in dictatorship. It'll never get better if you're writing off everything they've done as an attack against your life, father, that's just an excuse. I'm not weak, nor am I naïve, but I will be defying my conscience if I looked away from the things you're about to do to those innocent people. They don't deserve it! You've got to stop this killing!"

"That is enough," the general spoke, lunging forward and smiting Squall across his cheek. The boy stepped back, heart racing, holding a hand to the left side of his face with eyes looking down at the floor now as Caraway's heavy voice returned, "Clearly you have lost all your sense of responsibility and your mind. Squall, you are hereby relieved of your prior duties. You are to stay here in my eye sight! My operation will be carried out with or without your input. It is high time you saw what a general is capable of, what must be done to demand respect, maintain respect. This country has always been dictated and it has never failed. After it is done, you will thank me for showing you what it means to be strong. Sympathy is for the weak!"

"I," Squall began, lifting his eyes from the floor and lowering his hand, "I was hoping you'd be merciful to the _kids_ you're about to kill, but apparently I'm asking for too much," The young man boldly retorted to his father.

"…Those kids will grow up to continue the path that their fathers have laid out before them. I will instill fear in their hearts and turn them away. It is like branding the cattle. A wound inflicted deep within the heart of their force for all to see. Who would dare defy me after that wondrous day?"

"…And to think that I defended you," Squall whispered in disbelief as he turned from his mad father. "I'll have no part in this."

"You're saying that now, but someday you will understand why it needed to be done, and you will _thank_ me for showing you what it means to be strong."

Squall stopped at the door and looked back at his father for the last time, taking a deep breath first.

"Goodbye, father," Squall muttered. The sound of his voice shredded the silence all around them now. He then exited and made his way up the vast walkway. He could not stand to bear any of his father's madness; even the thought of having to stay home irritated him.

"Squall," Julia's voice called out to him from behind. When he faced her, Squall immediately noticed that her figure seemed a bit frail. Her bright clothing made her appear to be an apparition of some kind. She was frightfully pale.

"Mom," he whispered her name as she approached him with outstretched arms and embraced him. There was something different about the way she hugged him this time. She was more demanding, pulling him in as if to hold him tight and never let go. He then realized she must've been worried about him as it was his first official mission away from home.

"It's so good to see you again. I've never been more worried."

Squall was the first to pull away, "…Are you alright? You really…you don't look healthy."

"I'm alright," she grinned, but Squall couldn't tell if it were a true grin or a façade. "I'll walk you to your room, dear."

When they were in the security of his room, Julia sighed and approached her son, "I heard the conversation you had with your father, Squall. Like you, I feel that there are things that can be done, steps he can take to be certain that this battle ends without more deaths."

"Yeah, but it's like you said before, he's too stubborn to understand that," Squall groaned, "...He thinks we're invincible, that Galbadia is invincible. He won't stop until everyone there, and in the other smaller towns surrounding it, is dead. At first I didn't understand why they thought so horribly of him, but now I see that they were right. He really _is_ a tyrant. I was hoping maybe he didn't know of the murders going on, but…now I see. He's well aware and, in fact, the one responsible for it, for everything. He'd rather kill them than work with them to make the conditions better. If only I…If only I knew how to stop this from happening."

"Squall…"

"I can't stay here mom, not like this. I have to do something about it. I have to at least try to warn them…"

"Now, Squall, that is not your place. It is your father's decision and his decision alone. To each Caraway his own attributes are listed and this will not affect your name when you are the general. He'll take full responsibility."

"What…?" He slowly backed away from his mother, face curling with disgust of her implications. "What are you saying? …You want me to _stand by_ and let him carry out his plans?"

"I know your father…is…" She struggled to continue. In her heart, she knew it was wrong and there were no words to justify him no matter how long her moment in thought had been.

"If I stand by, my hands will be just as bloody as his already are. I can't live with that, nor am I worried about what becomes of my record in either scenario. This is about more than me, more than any of us. It's about the lives of an entire city of people. At this point, I don't care about becoming a general. I'd rather be respected, _not feared_. Dad is corrupt and I don't think you should stay here anymore. It's too dangerous."

"Where will I go? This place is all that I have. You and your father are all that I have," Julia's eyes glistened sadly.

"You could hide out in a town far away, some place like Winhill. Also, Deling City isn't safe either. I don't want anything to happen to this place, but we're not invincible. I've had one bomb discarded that was most likely to be used for Deling City, but that could've been one of _many_."

Her eyes widened at his words. Squall continued, "I want things to change, but I'm afraid if we continue in dad's policies, there will _never_ be a positive change. It's getting worse for both sides, can't you see that?"

"Of course I do, but I don't want to lose either of you. I want this to end just as much you both do, but we must find a way to settle it so that everyone is satisfied."

"I'm sorry, but I won't be satisfied pretending that an entire city _didn't _get wiped from the face of this earth, and I will _never _be satisfied with living a lie!" Julia's eyes fell to the floor at his words. Hadn't her entire world been a lie?

"Yes," she stammered, clearing her throat and backing away from Squall. "I understand, Squall. So you wanna leave…?"

He had finally taken a deep breath and rested his head in the palm of his hand. She approached him slowly and placed her hand on his shoulder, looking up into his eyes as he lowered his hand and faced her. "…I want you to follow your heart," her voice was as gentle as an angel's might. "Do what you think is right, but Squall please promise me that you'll be careful. Choose wisely. Whatever may come of your actions, know that I will never neglect you. I wanted you to know something tonight, but I fear that now isn't the best time to say it. Instead, if you should learn some things while you're away, just know that I've always loved you and I will never stop loving you. I don't care what anyone says, you are _my_ son."

The boy stared into her eyes while feeling his beginning to glisten, "Mom…I love you too," he answered her firmly and fell into a tight embrace with her, though a tinge a bewilderment nagged at the back of his mind.

Julia eventually left his room, left him to his thoughts of all the chaos happening around him. _'You are my son,'_ he recalled. Her words hadn't bothered him when she was actually speaking them, but now he was left wondering what she had meant by it. Maybe it was to prepare him for his upcoming actions? Maybe his father would disown him if he decided to leave to warn the rebels.

_What the hell are you about to do?_ He asked himself in thought.

If he did decide to help the rebels, would it also mean never seeing his mother again? The boy looked back at the door from which she had recently exited and softened his eyes. As long as he knew she loved him, he was willing to risk everything to be certain that Timber wasn't completely destroyed by his father's hands. His eyes narrowed immediately, thinking about how cold his father was turning out to be. He was becoming a figure that Squall hadn't even recognized, no longer the tough, yet gentle instructor from his youth.

The brunet turned about in his room, facing his wardrobe. He then changed into his old training clothes, or regular wear: standard black pants padded at certain areas for protection, a series of belts climbing his leg to hold supplies, a white army t-shirt and a short-sleeved black jacket. Longer sleeves were sometimes troublesome in the heat of battle. _Battle?_ Was he really preparing for war? Better to be prepared and armed rather than defenseless, rendering him an easy target. The secondary sheath lying in the corner of his wardrobe caught his eye, perfect timing he thought, along with more ammunition for his gunblade, also ready for use. He had then packed them away in a light carry bag that he looped his arms through and secured tightly at his back.

Squall grabbed a good pair of midnight leather gloves which he slipped on immediately. He closed the wardrobe doors and paced toward his dresser, snatching up his favorite ring, one with a lion's silhouette carved into its front. It was a gift from his mother from long ago. He had forgotten to bring it along at his first departure, but now it would be essential to have in his care. He wasn't sure how long he would be away, maybe forever, but there was nothing else of value to take with him at that moment, nothing but the weapon sheathed at his side and the ring slid about his finger. He would be damned if his leaving wouldn't amount to anything. If necessary, he would put his life on the line to save those people from an all out slaughter.

When Julia returned to Squall's room sometime later than night, she found it dark and empty as expected.

She envied her son's bravery. If only she could boldly face her fears and admit her sins, her lies; but how could she? It would have been completely selfish to tell him the truth now, either of them perhaps. Julia closed her eyes in the darkness and solitude of her son's room. Was it goodbye forever? She could not hold him there even with all the words of love in the world. It seemed Squall had inherited some of his father's ways after all, though used for either good or evil depending on the heart: whenever his mind was set on something, he went for it. There would be no way to stop him now, as stubborn as Richard.

Squall had followed his heart, and she was glad.

* * *

_Notepaper: _

_

* * *

_

_Hey guys, and thanks! The next update is currently under construction, so we'll see how it goes later. In the meantime, this one turned out to be longer than I expected. Hopefully, that will satisfy you till next time, right? As you can see, I've spiced up the summary a tad bit as I have a horrible habit of making boring summaries (lol)-I think it works for this story, though, what do you think? And if you haven't noticed, I've also altered the genre, so yeah, don't worry, the story will catch up with that pretty soon. I'm fascinated with war stories and yet I'm still a hopeless romantic at heart, though you could never get me to say that in person, hahaha. Well alright then, I'll see you all next week with the next update. Love you guys, and thanks for reading, as usual! _

_StardustRay_


	8. The Forest Wolf

_**Fate, Wild**_

_Chapter VIII: The Forest Wolf_

Had it not been for the fallen debris below her, Rinoa may have very well hit the solid, bare pavement. Reflex forced her to outstretch her left arm in hopes of breaking the fall; however, she was knocked unconscious upon impact. It happened in the blink of an eye.

Laguna, blinded by the light that emitted at the bottom of this circular ladder case, was only able to see Rinoa at the end of his fall. He landed flat on his feet behind her with legs spread apart. The sting from landing on the soles of his boots sent jolts up his legs. Years of combat experience compelled him to lift his daughter from the ground and taut her away to evade the collapsing hole above them. Debris and dust scattered behind them as Laguna made way, running as fast as he could to be certain they were not caught by the protruding rubble. The building collapsed until it had no further place in the ground to fall. Above ground in the dark streets of Timber, there was nothing left of their home but the burning debris shriveling into thick pieces of ruined materials.

Those who had not been prosecuted and even some soldiers looked on in shock and awe at what just occurred. Even more so, they were mortified to find the galbadian captain ordering some of his soldiers underground to be certain all the rats, or rebels, had been cleared.

Below ground, Laguna ran with Rinoa in his arms until meeting up with a group of masked men carrying weapons of all sorts. They would guide him until he and his daughter were safely outside of Timber's domain. Unlike the other times their group had met below, there were no lights to illuminate the way. These men travelled together running on pure memory. Laguna probably knew the sewers better than most of them, though he was not quick to boast such incriminating knowledge.

"I hear something this way," an unfamiliar voice called out. "After them, now!" It was undoubtedly galbadian soldiers on their trail. The masked men split apart so efficiently, it was as if they had rehearsed this escape a million times. Laguna continued to run with two of the men while the other four revved up to take on the ignorant soldiers of their plight. The veteran rebels were silent fighters. There was no use for words. Having spent years of training together and meeting, they were ready for anything. They became one with the stealth of the underground soot that night, pride carried deep in their hearts. These men feared nothing. Laguna knew he could rely on them, and it was exactly his reason for not saying a single word to them as they split apart. They had always been successful with their orders, no matter how ridiculous, no matter how deadly.

Laguna trusted them with his life.

Soldiers filled the walkways in the sewers. The masked men drew their weapons and charged ahead to fight off the small number of soldiers. The sounds of their encounter clashed through the dullness of the sewers. Laguna and the others pressed forward. It would be a ways ahead until they came upon their targeted area.

Rinoa shifted in his arms a bit, but remained asleep. It would be better if she remained that way for now. They would need complete silence if they were going to reach their destination with no errors and also with no soldier following behind them. The man leading their small group pointed ahead. Laguna, eyes having adapted to the darkness after all the time spent running in it, was able to see his gesture. They pressed on.

Finally the long corridor appeared and there at its end was the ladder that would lead to their freedom. When they finally approached it, the other masked man went ahead of Laguna and helped him to lift Rinoa up while climbing backwards. There were more men at its top who had helped handle the girl until Laguna was on his feet and able to take her again. Quietly, they led him one of the many rooms available in Kiros' living quarters. Laguna looked after her until the others arrived.

"The army is really starting to get more aggressive," one of the men lifted his groundhog mask slowly with a chuckle, "Nearly lost my leg."

"_You_ can say that," the others emerged from the ladder behind him following the same laughter, "I almost lost my head back there."

The masked men continued to chatter about until everyone had climbed up and been accounted for. They all walked toward the motel-like structure in the dark and were then approached by Kiros, whose mask hung by a string on his side. He approached them with folded arms and a grim look.

"So, how is she?" The groundhog mask wearing man said to Kiros softly, in a voice that had seemed to be catching his breath.

"I believe she will be fine, though she's probably still unconscious at the moment," he sighed and looked at the ground. "I can tell by your eyes that Timber is not in great shape."

"You can say that again. You know things are bad when they've started to blow buildings away."

"You all got there in the nick of time," Kiros unfolded his arms. "Speaking of bombs, our sleeping beauty finally found its way back to us. Also, Robby's team is doing what they can with the rest of the new equipment. It would be foolish to assume that our final battle isn't soon, so I'm not surprised they've resulted to drastic attacks. Get ready," he said as he had begun to walk away, but was stopped by a woman clad in a beaver's mask.

"Where are you headed to?"

"I'm off to see someone who can help in case things get worse."

The group exchanged worried glances, "What should we do in the meantime?"

"Continue to spread the word. We need everyone here and fast. Gather everyone you can in the nearby villages for important orders, come prepared to fight says Nechku."

"You mean _he's…_"

"That's right," Kiros faced them with a smile, "Stay focused. This will all be over soon."

"Right!" They yelled in unison and immediately acted out his request.

* * *

Urgency pulsed through his veins. For once in his life, the power to make a difference finally rested in the palm of his hand. Done away with his past, Squall was. No more would he stand in the looming shadow of the man responsible for crushing the very legs of the galbadian kingdom, all still his people, with iron fists. It was indeed surprising, or maybe unsurprising after all, that Squall possessed the heart to betray his father. Even in doing so, he felt no shame as his cause was just. Would they, the people of Deling City, judge him for his betrayal? Naturally. However, the cares of his people would be his defense against those who continued to stand with his father and judge him. He was indeed doing the right thing, not only in his own eyesight, but in the eyes of his mother.

It was a leap of faith. He would plunge forward on the wings of her words to comfort him in this wild act. Even leaving Galbadia did not guarantee his safety with the rebel forces, but there was no way he would keep them ignorant of his father's current battle agenda.

The lights were low in the still hours of night throughout the vast mansion. Only the usual guards patrolled the hallways at this hour. Squall had managed to get through most of the mansion unstopped and unquestioned despite his father's order that he had to remain indoors at all times. As long as he remained calm and kept to his destination, he would not be bothered. The regular guards rarely spoke to the young master, as he had always occupied a taciturn and studious manner. Though amiable and polite, they knew that his words were few, and mostly wise. He was certain one of the guards would question his need to use the study room at this hour, but nothing came of it. Any other day he may have very well found use in this particular room, but today was no ordinary day. The mansion, even in its luxurious state, had been equipped with ancient and secret passageways. There were at least four passages Squall knew of, but the rest, if there were more, were most likely hidden elsewhere.

The young man opened and closed the door quickly, yet quietly. He had chosen the study room for its particular location. It lacked the necessary guards and was hidden well out of the way. Of the other rooms utilizing passageways, it was the only one that was outside of his father's quarters. The room boasted elegant linen and a sofa adorned in embroidered throw pillows. The furniture took on natural cherry wooden hues. Even the study table's legs featured hand carved illustrations of both wild animals and monsters of some sort. Squall observed the area first, studying the book shelf that displayed the same antique trim and decorations of the entire room.

Upon his independent discovery, Squall found that there was a riddle to every passageway. Luckily, he had solved this one in particular when he was just thirteen, though it hadn't been solved in one day. This riddle was similar to that of the guest waiting area, located in his father's quarters. In that room, one would observe the painting and its surroundings and find that slipping a single wine glass into the maiden statue's hand would cause the statue to take on a new form, thus grabbing the glass and revealing the passageway. He remembered how his father had almost caught him in the midst of this particular discovery. If he had been caught, he could have imagined receiving a harsh punishment and doubled study time, not to mention banishment from that particular room. Harsh punishments meant light lashes and isolation at the most. It was nothing he couldn't handle. The brunet shook his head to rid himself of the unnecessary thoughts. He focused on his current dilemma, or whatnot.

Though the riddle of this room did not utilize wine glasses, the books upon the book shelf played a major role in its trivia. The books were stocked from A to Z along the shelves. There were various volumes of history, galbadian history, books on the foreign country Esthar and its harsh terrain, providence books, books on how one was to manage power, become powerful, and even books on making rare weapons; however, there was a certain area upon the shelf containing books that hadn't belonged with these topics. It was a set of Occult Fan books, a rather strange series pertaining widely to the unknown.

If one were to pay closer attention to the details scattered about this study, it would seem that its designer had been greatly intrigued by the unfamiliar. There were strange paintings of monstrous beings decorating the walls and beastly statues anchoring every corner of the room, all had seemed to enrich to the atmosphere with mystery and fall in line with the Occult Fan books' theme of monster sightings and apparitions. Back when he was thirteen, Squall took a particular interest in these books. For a boy his age who needed an escape from studies once in a while, he was immediately entranced by the mystery and thrill of this new world of fantasy. It truly captivated him. He grew and matured with these special books throughout that year, up until one day Squall quickly realized the books were slightly out of order. Although they were chronologically correct, their theoretical principals proposed the series had been incorrectly numbered by perhaps its author or the publishing company from the very beginning. Altogether there were four books with four basic principles labeled I: Ring, II: Rebirth, III: Signs, and IV: Enabler.

If Squall simply lined up these books to match the principles of a monster's life story, the books would rearrange to reveal the secret passageway. He had spent time reading these books and had accidently stumbled upon this secret. Sometimes on boring days between studying, he would rearrange a complete shelf to see if anyone would notice. Usually, not to his surprise, no one ever noticed. On the day of this new discovery, he decided to arrange the Occult Fan books in a way that would be true to its theoretical order. The occult fan books would be rearranged to spell out these events; III: Signs, the signs that a monster's spirit is alive exemplified by its element of natural power, I: Ring, the power of the monster lying dormant within a person's ring, IV: Enabler, the item or items used to link with or awaken the monster within the ring, and finally, II: Rebirth, when the monster is awakened and freed from the captivity of the ring, or its circular prison.

Now in the present, Squall at eighteen, had remembered the message he created so that he would always remember the books' secret arrangement. While rearranging the books, he recited this message aloud, "The occult fan books lead to three _signs_ and one _ring_, a person would need four _enablers_ that would ultimately grant a monster at least one _rebirth_."

The brunet grinned when the passageway had been opened. He had always wondered if the documents located inside these books were real; however, he realized it had been the hopes of his wild imagination as a boy to even believe that such a thing could exist. The occult fan books were fantasy after all. Even so, it would be a truly extraordinary event to witness.

Squall looked back at the door to the study room and gathered his strength. _Mom, please take care of yourself. _

He strode boldly through the doorway of the passage and pulled down on a small iron shaft that was to his right about the walkway which triggered its closure. The books would remain in their newly respectable places, but the area where the passage had been opened was now closed tightly. Darkness followed immediately and Squall was now shut out.

He closed his eyes for a moment. This would help them to become accustomed to the dark faster. After a short while, he peeled them open to observe a stretched out path before him. It went on until becoming a narrow ladder that went down, deeper into an abyss of zero space. Taking this ladder would be his only way out for now. The boy paced toward quickly. Once at the ladder, he climbed down until reaching a dusty and mold infested staircase. The sounds of running water came from below. He was near the regular street sewerage. At the bottom of the stairs he decided to travel south, or his left, and hoped to come across some opening or break in the streetlight from above. He would thereby be enabled to identify his exact location in the city.

He ran with the sounds of his own footsteps echoing about him. It was much like the night he had met up with the rebels in Timber, and the girl wearing the strange mask. What had become of her? He wondered if she had decided to help out, after all. Now would be a terrible time to take a stand, especially with a war on the horizon. But at this point, standing stagnant would prove useless also. Even when the rebels were discussing nonthreatening topics, galbadian soldiers took to the extremes. On that night, he couldn't have imagined leading a life that survived on the things underground, hiding away in cowardice and in the dark; ironically, he found himself now utilizing the rebels' very own methods or way of life, moving about the realm of darkness to take a stand. It would seem he was not as different as they were after all. The young man smiled at this thought, but then focused himself with his current pace.

He knew it would be a long way until he reached the ladders that led to the regular street above ground. Squall maintained a steady pace underground. After following more than a few connected walkways and moonlit corridors, Squall came across a ladder that would lead him up the street.

He lifted the drainage top in a back alley street, glad that no one had been outdoors to have seen his emerge. He carefully placed the lid back onto its original place and observed the area around. He knew he would need a vehicle to get out of town and fast, but it would need to be accessed away from the mansion. He walked from the back alley and followed the regular crowd to an outlet of stores where the infamous Galbadian Hotel had been located. There, he saw soldiers gathered outside, the lot of them most likely off duty, but the men were standing out front having a laugh. Being spotted by these men was not wise, even if they weren't on duty.

He avoided the store area and headed to the front of town where the travel agencies were located. He knew of the twenty-four hour car rental and a few other stores that helped the rich tour the countryside. Despite recent events, there was a time when things were more settled. He had enjoyed being able to have a couple of vacation days with his mother and father at her request travelling this countryside, but these times happened earlier on in his childhood. His memories of those days were vague and few. Squall narrowed his eyes and proceeded toward the car rental store. He knew that the orders to keep him home had only been spoken within the walls of the mansion. The people working at this particular place would give him no trouble as he was the commander and also the general's son. Not to mention, they were bound to have a nice selection of cars specially made for the show-boasters of Deling City.

Not long after, he found himself driving away with one of the red sports cars that had been parked out within the shop. Squall took advantage of the car's high speed potential and drove down the dark and open dirt road at menace's pace. The brunet made Timber his destination, deciding that for now it would be best to avoid Martine for fear of being returned to Deling City prematurely. At this pace, he would be back in Timber's terrain in no time.

* * *

"I don't care who he is, he is unstable," the wolverine masked man huffed in the darkness of morning. The man in the rat mask tapped his foot and sighed as the wind chattered between the leaves around them in his silence. They had gathered in a familiar forest out of Timber's sight and near the location of a certain battle that had taken place recently, curiously, the same place where the amnesiac had first been found. "We have no time for unnecessary drawbacks."

"I completely understand," the man in the russet rat mask answered softly, his ghostly eyes gleaming in the night. "In spite of what's occurred, the truck has been loaded with extra equipment to compensate. Like you, I am also skeptical of the boy. There _was_ some resilience in his voice when he came back, though. He wanted to have the men spared. I am unsure what to make of his future actions as of now, but we will be sure to keep a closer watch on him if he is to return."

"…_If_?"

"We have yet to receive any word from either of them."

"So…there have been no new reinforcements to Timber?" He placed his right hand upon his waist and leaned into it.

"If there were to be some type of uproar, then _we _would be its backup. I am unaware of there being other units set for a scheduled visit, which means that now would be the perfect time to strike. Although I cannot directly interfere yet, we will join in later and surround the city to be certain that no soldier escapes. If your men can keep them penetrated underground, it will be a surefire victory. Timber could be liberated in as soon as tomorrow night."

"It sounds rather simple," the wolverine masked man frowned, "but I would hate for some mishap to occur…"

"There won't be foul play," his hand lifted and a smile accompanied this motion. "I, too, am tired of this trifling power struggle."

"…What do you suppose _he_ thinks?" His counterpart asked at first with a short release of breath, and then lowering his hand.

The man behind the rat masked grinned, "I'm sure the young man has formed his own opinions about the general by now."

"…I'm sure you're right."

"And if he should return…?"

"Whichever route he chooses, I'll have to deal with him myself," there was a grim gaze upon the man wearing the wolverine mask's part so much that the man in the rat's mask chuckled a bit at his response.

Squall sped along the opened road having made great distance by this time. He had made it into Timber territory and was nearing the destroyed farm site. His mind raced as fast as the limits he had violated.

Was he prepared to be an all out traitor?

Even after hearing the insanity of his father's plans, he wasn't sure he would be able to raise his sword against his father's, not to mention any galbadian soldier's. Maybe he could help them enough so that they were better off defending, rather than cut all ties with Galbadia and become a complete traitor. No, what was he saying? There was no way he would ever want to belong to any group that ruled people with fear. Sympathy isn't for the weak; it is simply having the heart to understand. A leader should be one who is able to see both sides and make a decision rather than enforcing his ways, all or nothing, and expecting everyone to abide. Violence was necessary only if discussion proved futile, and his father hadn't even tried to discuss. He would rather kill them than make changes to his perfect law. Such arrogance like the general's was nothing more than blatant ignorance.

There, he was justified. His mind had been put to rest.

Squall arrived at the destroyed farm site in the red rental car. He knew the man would figure out he'd left sooner or later, though he didn't know what to make of it. His mind finally grabbed onto a sense of peace. Now he could get out of the vehicle and actually make his way to the rebel's terrain starting from the abandoned farm. Maybe he could find someone and begin with a general apology. The boy equipped himself and made his way through the dingy field; unbeknownst to him, someone had been watching him all the time from afar.

Soft sunlight pierced the sky, a glorious dawn awakening above him. Kiros watched this magnificent sunrise while waiting eagerly, patiently, for a certain someone. There he stood at the destroyed site of the farm, masked, dual katana blades secured at his sides ready to be drawn from their sheaths at any second. Still he waited with folded arms, tolerantly.

Briefly, he summarized his long and tiring day having never seen a wink of sleep. First a strange boy from Timber reported urgent news from Laguna, and not long after that, he had heard of the so called amnesiac's escape. Though he was certain to update Robby about the bomb's current location, he found Robby was still upset, having received an unnecessary bruise in the process. The younger man explained the situation to Kiros repeatedly in hopes of getting him to change his mind about the shifty amnesiac as well, but Kiros seemed all the more curious of the obvious solder's next move. Robby finally gave up and went back to his own duties while Kiros went ahead with his checklist also, sending backup to Laguna and meeting with the other masked man in the forest just hours ago.

It may have been by a complete hunch, but he knew he would encounter the young soldier again, maybe even soon. As time old wisdom proclaimed, a criminal always returns to the scene of the crime scene, so would he. It had been a long and strenuous night, but Kiros knew that he had to have known about Timber's lockdown. Unless the boy really wanted nothing to do with them at all, he would stand in wait for him until Nechku's orders spoke otherwise.

Squall neared the site, gunblade sheathed at his side. He paced until finally spotting a figure standing in the dark corner of the half wrecked barn. He took one cautious step before the other until reaching this person.

"…So, you've returned," a voice finally broke through the looming silence. Kiros took a step into the soft sunlight. Squall narrowed his eyes when he saw the tall man sauntering toward him with two blades sheathed at his waist on opposite sides.

"…Kiros…" Squall whispered, and then swallowed his breath. He hadn't imagined having to go up against any of them, especially not Kiros. He seemed to be a person not to trifle with, Squall thought. "…I'm not who you think I am," he decided to start honestly.

"Tell me," Kiros grinned, though Squall couldn't see it from where he stood. "If you were in my position, who should I think you are: a traitor, a rebel, or a soldier….? Your actions so far clearly spell out that you are not to be trusted on either side."

"…I…" The young man took a deep breath. Telling the complete truth would not be easy. "I was wrong before. I do not agree with the general's idea of our society. I decided to leave Galbadia for good. I believe I can be of some help and some use to your cause. Please accept my apology. I'm sorry about what happened before. I really didn't mean to injure anyone or runaway with your things."

Kiros shrugged while shaking his head, "An apology…? You say you're sorry and now we're just supposed to let you back onboard with opened arms? You have a lot of growing up to do, young man. Things don't work that way around here."

It may have sounded naïve, but Squall was hoping things could have been that simple. "I'm not asking for a warm reception from you or anyone else, I just want you to trust me that it won't happen again. I give you my word."

"Give me one reason why I, or anyone else in the faction, should trust someone like you?"

Squall held in his breath, thinking carefully for an answer. He answered slowly. "…You told me when they found me, I was wearing a mask. To be honest, I don't understand why I was masked to begin with… We had been fighting with you all before that, and I was injured… Then I woke up in Jessie's mother's care,"

Kiros placed his hand onto his waist and leaned into it. "…How is this helping your case?"

"I don't know…but what I do know is that I need answers, direct answers. I should at least be allowed to know the truth just as much as you do. No one told me why I was masked and brought _here_. No one admitted to knowing that I wasn't truly one of you all."

"What are you getting at?"

"…Can't you tell? Someone obviously wanted me to learn about what my father is doing to the people in Timber. Someone wanted me to live life on the other side if only for a few days, to see what's really been happening, what's really going on. Now that I know the whole truth, you're going to stand there and deny me a chance to make a difference? …To change things? I've left everything behind to be here, to help you. I need you to believe me when I say that I can be trusted."

Kiros stared at him silently, cautiously.

Squall grew agitated at his prolonged silence, "If it's about the bomb… I can tell you where it is right this minute, why it's there, and why I would have the authority to leave it there or bring it back. I will tell you everything I know, but I won't stop there. I can tell you who I really am, if that's what's bothering you."

The man in maroon grinned, "You just did….commander," he muttered.

Squall's eyes widened momentarily, and then recalled his spoken words carefully. He had mouthed off again, called the general his father, a grave mistake…or was it?

"It's quite alright," Kiros began to walk forward. "I'm sure you know I've had my suspicions about you since day one. …I had heard the general's son is a fine swordsman, though word of that sort doesn't reach these lands too often. You were the biggest kept secret of Galbadia, quite possibly one of the only secrets I've kept with me when I, too, decided to leave the army."

_Is that why his name is familiar? I must've heard my father or some other official speak of him, albeit briefly. Then why give me so much trouble if he's practically in the same situation as I am?_

Squall stepped forward, "Does this mean I can continue…?"

"Not so fast," Kiros took a deep breath, finally coming about fifteen feet away from Squall. "Though I am touched you have found fault with your ways of life, I'm afraid we won't need your kind of help."

"What?" the boy stepped back, the man's words had struck a nerve.

"It's because of who you are. Having someone like you in our midst will disrupt our natural order."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Go back," Kiros moved his hands to the tops of his sheathed weapons.

"I don't think you heard me. I've left _everything_ to be here—"

"And you think the lot of us didn't? We are not mere farmers… That luxurious lifestyle back in Deling City wasn't enough for us, not on bloodstained money. There were people here, hurting. So we left everything and stayed here."

"Then just how do you think _I_ feel right now? I refuse to be yoked with my father and his deeds, forever to be judged by _his_ crimes. I want things to change and that's exactly why I'm not leaving just like that!"

Kiros stared at him for a moment in thought. He moved his right arm above the weapon and then gripped the handle of his katana, slowly lifting it. He stretched his arm out and pointed the blade's tip at Squall from afar. "Push your feelings aside and go home. I'm saving your life. The truth is, with a name like Caraway, you've no other choice _but_ to be linked with him, for as long as you are a Caraway. That will upset people, even if you continue to reassure everyone that you are done with Galbadia." The man reached for his left blade and unsheathed it also, "Now enough of this, I've told you twice to go back. If you continue to refuse to heed my warning, then you leave me no other choice!"

Kiros immediately took off in full charge, blades drawn and lethal, blood stirred. Squall unsheathed his gunblade instantly and defended himself just as Kiros brought his blades down against him. Sparks flew from the clashing blades, Kiros held great strength in his arms and Squall push upward, attempting to match that strength.

"No," The brunet muttered, sparing his strength, "I don't want to fight you!"

"If you won't fight, then we _really_ don't need you here!" Kiros growled behind gritted teeth.

"I'm not..." Squall shrugged him off with a slash across, "leaving!"

Kiros flung himself backward, and then charged at him again, slicing with his left and then right katana, both blocked by Squall's timed defense. "You don't have a choice," the man said, in a menacing voice. He pulled back momentarily, "I'll kill you if you don't!"

"I'm not your enemy!" Squall tried pleading with him. "I hate what my father is doing! He-"

The man with the deadly katana blades advanced forward and continued an onslaught of attacks. Squall had expertly dodged most of them whilst avoiding others, and was then able to parry his blade on the final slash. The brunet then charged ahead, deciding that he would no longer spend another second on the defensive side of this battled. Squall rained upon him a taste of his own medicine. Kiros blocked him left and right finally, maneuvering about the boy and attempting to clip him, but Squall performed a back flip then landed on his feet, then lunged forward with his blade aimed at Kiros' chest. Kiros defended himself immediately and knocked the boy back. Squall went back into his defensive stance, gunblade held across his torso. "The general is," the boy whispered in exhausted breath. Kiros took the invitation and slammed his blades against it again, pushing down hard against the young swordsman. "He," Squall attempted to continue, "He's sending a bigger, more experienced army here, one that's stationed in Esthar!"

Kiros barred his teeth and continued to drain the youth's strength. Squall again, pushed upward and knocked him off then charged ahead with an extended gunblade. "I know what to expect! Stop fighting and listen to me!" His attempts to seize the battle had been futile. The two men clashed with even attacks until Kiros charged full ahead into a shoulder rush and knocked Squall back. The boy fell to his knee, breathing heavily as was Kiros.

"…I'm not…your enemy," Squall whispered, out of breath. When he noticed Kiros' lingering silence, he uttered onward, "…I was able to train with them before they left for Esthar, so I know what type of weapons they'll be using, and what we should expect from their attack." The young man huffed and puff between words, "If you don't want me around, that's fine, but just let me help with the defensive strategy against those soldiers…" The young man stood to his feet and stared into Kiros' stern eyes. "If I went back now, I'll be shut inside my home to do nothing while everyone here is destroyed by that platoon. I refuse to support my father's devious plans. I don't want to see Timber's complete destruction. So please, you have to trust me."

Kiros lowered his blades and stood upright, "…On one condition," his voice was steady.

"What's that?" Squall slowly relaxed, gripping the gunblade's handle.

"…You mustn't reveal your true identity to anyone under any circumstance until the given time."

"When will that be?"

"Until Timber's independence," he said, putting away his blades at the back sheaths of his belt. "…It would be chaotic if everyone knew right away who you are. No one would truly trust you."

"Understandable. So who I am then? I can't be the amnesiac kid forever…"

"…You are Wolf, an ex-galbadian soldier…like most of us," Kiros grinned and turned away from the teenager as the boy sheathed his gunblade away, eyes widened with curiosity. "We are ex-galbadian soldiers, lieutenants, sergeants, and captains. You can't have a rebel army without some from the other side."

Squall nodded in agreement.

"So then," Kiros continued. "Why the sudden change of heart? You seemed adamant about not standing for our leader before…"

"…I finally realized that the general's intentions are inhumane and he's set in his ways. I must say that when I stole that bomb, I was under the impression that it would be used to destroy Deling City. I couldn't allow that to happen, surely you can understand."

Kiros folded his arms and nodded slowly. "Well then, I believe you're sure about your decision. You must know that from this moment forward, there can be no regrets."

"I have none," the boy answered plainly.

"Good," Kiros grinned and turned from Squall, walking to a duffel bag left at the back wall of the barn. Digging through, he removed what appeared to be their masks: his wolverine's mask and Squall's new wolf mask. He faced Squall and walked to him, then tossed him the mask. "We should head back now. Something's about to happen in Timber. You'll need to wear it at all times from now on. _No one_ is to see your face, am I clear?"

"Understood," the brunet agreed. His life depended on it.

* * *

Softly, a warm cloth made contact with her cheek, repeatedly. Rinoa opened her eyes to a dampened towel patting against her face. She saw Laguna's large eyes smiling at her. The girl sat up immediately to hug him, "Dad!" He held her closely and quietly. She cleared her throat and continued, "What happened?"

"The soldiers blew up the apartment building. We barely escaped."

"Are you okay?" She asked him curiously, something still seemed to bother him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just glad to hear your voice," he nodded with a reassuring smile, but when Rinoa pulled away from him, her wrist bumped against his shoulder and sent a sting of sheer pain down her arm.

"Ouch!" she retracted her right arm carefully, only taking the moment to realize it had been wrapped in bandages.

"Your wrist...you sprang it, that's all. Must've gotten that way when you landed," he explained dully. Rinoa was worried about her father, he seemed distant. "It was a long way down."

"I don't really remember falling," she shrugged.

"I'm glad. It wasn't exactly a thrill ride."

She ginned and looked up into his eyes again, suddenly displaying that feeling of worry in her own eyes. "Where's mom?"

He tensed immediately. "…She's still in Timber," he muttered. "She's been jailed there since yesterday."

"Jailed since yesterday? Mom!"

"Don't worry Rinoa, we're gonna go get her, along with everyone else who's trapped there. Right now, we're a short distance away from Timber. We're staying with my friend, Kiros, on his ranch. Rinoa, I'm gonna need you to stay here until things settle down."

"Stay here...?"

"Trust me, it's safer here."

"What exactly are you going to do, dad? …Go up against Galbadia?"

"Something like that," he grinned. "But there's no need to worry. Everything's gonna be fine, Rinoa."

"Dad…" she looked away from his eyes momentarily, and then brought them back, "…You're one of them, aren't you?" he remained silent, knowing exactly where she was getting at with her questioning. "…Is that why you were up so late that night? You were coming back from the meeting too… And you were wearing a mask when you got me, weren't you?"

"It doesn't matter what I am, I don't want you to get hurt, nor do I want you involved. I'll tell you everything at a different time, Rinoa, but for now, I need to know that you're gonna be here when we liberate Timber today."

"…Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Please be careful," she whispered, her eyes watering. "Make sure mom is safe too, and bring her back."

"Of course, honey," he embraced her. Suddenly, there was a firm rapping at the door to her new room.

"It's Kiros," the voice on the outside said.

"Come in," Laguna answered and gently pulled away from Rinoa.

Rinoa watched as the tall, dark skinned man entered the room with a friendly smile.

"I see you're doing fine," his voice was gentle and courteous.

"Yeah," Rinoa wiped her eyes, hiding her tears. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rinoa. Thanks for everything."

"Kiros, and you're welcome," he said with a bow. Laguna grinned and rose from the bed to join the man in the middle of the room.

"…Everything ready?" Laguna uttered.

"Just about, we just need you there now."

"I'm on it," Laguna answered him and was about to exit the room, "Oh yeah…is that uh…"

"It's been confirmed. I had a chat with him this morning. We have his full support."

"Great! Then—"

"Everything is in place," Kiros folded his arms first.

"Kiros, you're excellent, man!" Laguna's grin widened as Kiros bowed out of politeness in return. "Oh, but… I…well one sec," He looked back at Rinoa and sighed, "I'll be right back, Rinny."

"Alright, dad."

The two men excused themselves out of her room for the moment, closing the door behind. Kiros placed a hand on his hip.

"What is it?" He asked calmly.

"Well…I really don't wanna leave Rinoa here alone. I know the others are busy doing things…"

"That's fine. Not everyone was going in for the direct attack anyway. She'll be safe here."

"Okay," Laguna sighed in relief. "Then let's get down to business. I'll be good to go once I'm properly equipped. In the meantime, let's make sure everyone else is ready to. I know you are."

"Been ready for a long time now," Kiros grinned and watched as his longtime friend parted ways with him. They would meet up before a large group of people ready to strike against a fraction of the G-army.

Kiros was approached by Squall wearing the snow white wolf's mask.

"What now…?" the boy muttered softly.

"Since you're adamant about being part of our defensive strategy, I don't think this battle is for you."

"I can still fight," Kiros ignored him completely, leaving Squall agitated. "Have you even told them yet?"

"No, it's better to focus on one battle at a time."

"…I guess you're right," the brunet looked away. "But I don't think standing around waiting for you all will work for me, so I'll go too."

"That won't be necessary. If you really want to be of help, then," Kiros turned around and looked at the rooms behind, where Laguna was reentering. "You see that door over there," he pointed to Laguna's room, the same room Rinoa was resting inside.

"Yeah…?"

"Guard it with your life."

* * *

_Notepaper:_

_

* * *

_

_Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate your thoughts of this story. It's very inspiring. Sorry about the delay on this chapter, but things (as usual) happened to me all at once. I'm doing okay, and I'm working on the next chapter as you're reading this. I'm glad to be able to advance their mini-storyline as I know it's been a while since Squall and Rinoa have been in a joined scene. Rest assured, I still have other things to tackle-so who knows if they'll have that time in the next chapter or the chapter following that one. I hate spoiling the story. It's like my rule to never give out the plotline, hahaha. You won't crack me! Anyway, I must be going now. Thanks for reading, skimming, and reviewing. See you really soon, and take care. Adios._

_StardustRay_


	9. Liberating Timber

_**Fate, Wild**_

_Chapter IX: Liberating Timber_

The gate opened with a sharp piercing sting of a sound, slamming against its opposing base. "Okay, it was that guy over there on the ground! He's one of the ten who arrived recently! Grab the others, hurry! The lieutenant will be here any second now!"

Zone immediately opened his eyes when hands grabbed all over his torso and forced him to stand on his feet. He was still weakened from the beatings the other soldiers had given him not so long ago. They removed the tape from his mouth first and led him outside of the gate where he found men being held at gunpoint and forced to line up at the shooting posts. They were to be executed, shot from afar by the galbadian soldiers who were standing in attention and awaiting further orders. Zone's brown eyes widened immediately.

"No way, man!" He tried breaking free, but the soldiers held a tight grip. He saw six men standing before six of the ten posts occupying the ground; six men dressed in regular garments like him, most likely rebels themselves. His eyes watered immediately, "They're not actually gonna do it, right? … No…"

"Take aim," a nearby soldier announced, and at his order, the six shooters took aim to the foreheads of the reprimanded rebels. Indeed, this was the reality of those who were caught in the midst of the war. There was nothing beautiful about watching the death of a person who had spent his lifetime fighting for freedom. It was quite ironic in a sense. Surely, there was another way out of this. Surely they wouldn't actually follow through. How could they? The muffled screams of those lined up at the posts was enough to send chills down his spine.

"FIRE!"

Zone closed his eyes as the gunshots poured in. He would not be able to watch. His stomach simmered with furious acids. He was not at all equipped to endure the hideous nature of war and its outcome. When he opened his eyes, the men were lying on the ground, lifeless. Blood stained the dirt and grass surrounding them. Zone stared upon the corpses in a daze. Would he too share the same fate? There was no doubt in his mind at that point.

A soldier tugged on his left arm, "Come on," he said to him. Zone's knees buckled in fear. The nine others who had all witnessed the shots themselves began to whimper and lose their strength as well.

"NO! NO WAY!" Though falling weak, Zone was able to muster the last bit of his strength in hopes of escaping the soldiers' hold. "I didn't do anything to deserve this for god's sake! None of us did! Let us go!" He cried, but was met with another soldier carrying a bundle of folded clothing. Behind him, he saw the main officer approaching them. He had seen this tall man a number of times before, as well as a younger brunet more recently, but had never had the chance of being face to face with either of them. Zone knew by the sounds of all his medals clinking together upon his uniform that he was indeed an important person among the base.

He was the lieutenant in the flesh.

A few hours later, Timber remained overflowing with galbadian soldiers who were continuing to torment the citizens. Raine and the other highly suspected others remained jailed. A few miles away, trucks of rebels drove toward the city. Nechku, adorned in his silver owl mask, stood with a large group of masked men staring at the city's walls from afar. With no way of knowing how long it would take for the prison buses to arrive, they decided that now would be the best time to strike. It wasn't just a plan to free the detainees, but a mission to liberate Timber from galbadian hands. They would have waited until midnight when it would be easier to move about in the darkness of the night's cover, but the faction couldn't risk arriving too late and missing the buses. Also, the galbadian army seemed to expect their advance by nightfall anyway, having grown accustomed to its late night meetings or so.

With a force of men moving above ground and below it, and an expected third party backup arriving shortly, they were prepared to take down the soldiers in the city once and for all. The men steeled themselves for the upcoming and reasonably difficult fight.

"This is it, everyone! It's all or nothing," Nechku encouraged his men, hidden behind the shield of trees on the outskirts of Timber. "Today is the day we take back what's rightfully ours! This is _our _city, _our_ home! It's time to flush the soldiers out and reclaim it! Victory _is _ours!"

Everyone cheered in unison, and Nechku continued, "When word of our victory reaches Deling City, General Caraway will know that he's lost this battle and will very well lose the war as well! Today, today…" Nechku took a deep breath and presumed, "Today, we fight to win!"

The men all yelled together, a lingering united forefront that breeched Timber's walls.

"Huh? Did you hear that?" a soldier asked his subordinate only to receive a shrug. The curious soldier stopped in the midst of his rounds to look about himself for the suspicious sound. With another prolonged, silent minute, he decided to put his thoughts to rest. Maybe he was becoming delusional. His captain, among many, had forced him and his comrades to skip their naps for the third time in a row. Maybe sleepiness was catching up with him. Now wouldn't be the greatest time to be attacked, since he and everyone he knew had merely been pretending to be energetic, all for the sake of a paycheck.

He shrugged away his suspicion and continued his patrol, bypassing a drainage sewer.

Beneath the ground in that same sewer, the masked men marched forward to initiate their attack, quietly taking down straggling soldiers patrolling the sewers afoot. They had gathered beneath the drains scattered about the city and anywhere where small crevices were made, each awaiting their signal. At this particular radio signal, they would launch smoke bombs and grenades into the hordes of patrolmen, and crawl up into the streets from there with weapons in hand. Other more advanced teams would take base beneath the city and control the remote bombs that had to be manually attached to the armed vehicles such as the mini-tanks which the soldiers had been using to instill fear into the people's hearts. Robby was in charge of this team also, all awaited his signal as far as all concerning remote based bombs.

These radios and such bombs had been gathered from the underground store house which had been retrieved recently. Friends of the rebels had spent years gathering enough equipment to secure and aid the fighters. Robby hadn't realized how many of these spare weapons, radios, and bombs they had accumulated over the years, but he knew that once Kiros saw that the storage had been amassed with these things, it would be time to fight back soon after. Galbadia would never know from where they had gathered the equipment, and it would most likely remain secret until Timber achieved its total independence. Although Galbadia's technology had been growing as of late, for now, pure wits would have to win in order to topple over the mere trigger happy boy scouts of Galbadia.

Robby stared down at his equipment scattered abroad upon the table, inventorying each item in his mind for the hundredth time this morning. It wasn't until another young man about his age, possibly younger, fiddled around a bit at the corner of his eye. Robby looked up from the remote base and stared at the masked man curiously.

"You really don't need to wear that down here, kid. It could get pretty hot and I'm not just talking about the stink from the sewers," Robby said to the man in the brown owl mask. He was curious as to why this same masked person was also wearing a galbadian uniform.

Watts chuckled a bit, "Galbadia has its uniform, and I have my mask. I wouldn't want to be shot accidentally anyway. I haven't had the chance to change."

"I hear that," he looked around at their surroundings. Being inside the old meeting hall had been the best place to keep his electronic devices. There was the least amount of water in this particular area. The men had spent all morning secretly clearing out the soldiers who had been investigating the area just to be certain that this spot was set up for their attack. "You have your radio?"

"Yes, sir!" Watts answered him immediately.

"Good, channel it to frequency 48. You know the other frequency number too, right?"

"Got it down, sir!"

"Awesome," Robby rubbed his bruised forehead and then took a deep breath. "Memorize it. Be sure to get out of there once the jammer's up and running. You would not want to be caught in the middle of what's about to take place, trust me. Try to get back here as soon as possible. Alright, you know what you have to do, so in the meantime, get in position. We're counting on you, Watts. You're a brave soul and I wouldn't trade places with you for a second."

"Thank you, sir. I...I'll do my best. You should be careful too, sir! I'll be leaving now!"

"Good luck, Watts."

"You too!" Watts exited from the leader's entryway then closed the door behind. He disappeared in the dark corridor of the sewers leaving Robby alone with his devices in the vast room.

There he sat at his control base beneath the city with the smell of sewerage and sounds of trickling water surrounding him. It was strangely quiet and a bit eerie considering what would be happening in the next waning moments. Perhaps that was why the atmosphere seemed so quiet.

"Teams four is in place," the radio at his side blared into the silence of the room. It was a man's voice alerting him of their positioning, one of the few captains in their brave rebel army. "I repeat. Team four is in place." Eventually others would call in to announce the same thing, though their numbers differed according to placement underground. With this attack, they were able to gather more than enough fighting men from Timber and surrounding villages. Galbadia had not sent in backup troops and had about one hundred troops inside Timber since the lockdown order had been launched. Fortunately for the rebel forces, Galbadia was at a disadvantage. With their forces a little over doubling the galbadian army, there seemed to be newfound hope for the resistance factions yet. Today, Timber would be liberated, if not from the galbadian government but from the presence of its army personnel within Timber.

When the last team phoned in, Robby's tired face cracked a simple grin as he brought his radio up from the ground beside him. The others remained in their positions, ready for his order. Everyone remained in silence with nothing but their personal thoughts to carry them through until the order to attack was given. Some of them were thinking of their families or of the people whom they had left behind to be present this day, and some thought only of those who had died for Timber. Each man and woman took breaths beneath the proud masks upon their faces. Robby closed his eyes and took a final moment for himself. Once his eyes opened, he was ready for anything.

He pushed the talk button down on the side of the radio he had held in his palm, "Alright boys," he said with a wild grin, "Knock 'em dead!"

Smoke bombs rocketed from below, soaring through the opened drains of the grounds. The bombs landed in the streets with thuds and sharp pipe sounds, sending the galbadian troops running amuck and through a loop of bewilderment. "What the hell…?" Some of the soldiers yelled, looking about themselves trying to understand where the smoke had risen from. Unbeknownst to them, the drains had been opened for this sneak attack. The air around them became foggy almost instantly. Even in the daylight, the fog would become too much. The sunlight helped to strengthen that fog and made their surroundings as well as the smoke increasingly brighter.

"It looks pretty foggy from up here, Rob, but don't worry. I'll get to it!" Watts phoned in to Robby's radio.

He was standing at center stage to Timber's greatest source of communication, the TV station with the contents of his backpack gathered in his hands. Security had charged out once word was received of some outbreaks within the town. With their leave, Watts would quickly set up his equipment out of sight to jam the galbadians' radio signals for now within the city's limits. Because the galbadian army had seemed to find convenience in setting up its radio equipment at the station, the faction decided that it would be the best place to cast a radio wave jamming system that would affect all those within its radius for now.

"Alright, Watts! Okay bombers! Second attack," the light brown haired man announced, initiating the wave of regular grenades into the crowds of confused troops. All at once, the sounds of ignited grenades began to go off around the city. The sounds of scattered explosions protruded the walls of Timber. The sound quickened those on standby outside.

"Jammer's all set up, sir!" Watts' voice roared from Robby's radio again. Robby nodded at his voice.

"And at my 3, everyone loses signal. Nechku, be prepared to attack in, 1, 2, 3, give 'em the guns! Switch to the other channel in fifteen."

Robby switched off the main signal control from his computer and everyone, including his devices, lost signal. Without their radios, the G-army was left in the dark of day in total confusion. With no way to communicate, lesser sergeants needed to guide their platoons manually and in close proximity. Even with the sunlight, the air was foggy and made it increasingly difficult to see the masked demons emerging from the ground. If it were dark, it would have looked like a scene straight from hell. They crawled from below and from the north and south gates, weapons in hand to deliver an onslaught of attacks.

The fight had finally begun.

Nechku and the man in the wolverine mask charged ahead of the ranks of men at opposing gates, weapons gripped tightly. The galbadian army was met with devastating gunfire and melee warfare. It had been a successful surprise attack, indeed. More masked men and women poured in from both gates. Those who had lacked experience in direct warfare remained toward the back to catch escapees. It was all or nothing.

Back at the farm, Squall stood before the door he was assigned to guard, heavy in thought. Being that the battle lay elsewhere, there was nothing for him to do but wait. He folded his arms, breathing softly beneath the heavy mask. Since his return, it felt as if everything had happened so fast. And just as his thoughts had come to its conclusion, the sounds of gunfire emitted. The faction had struck. He recalled his brief conversation with Kiros just moments before the man had suited up and joined the other fighters out in the plains of Timber.

"_We'll defeat as many of them as possible to take back our home," _Kiros spoke vigilantly.

While the brunet was in thought, Nechku ordered his men to fire upon them mercilessly. Galbadia, too, did not aim to spare anyone; however, it seemed that the fog caused a great deal of confusion and misfire amongst them. Soldiers shot at anybody who had run through the fog out of fear, sometimes even their own men accidentally. Masked men took to the cloak of the white sheen from the parted alleyways between lofty buildings, picking off rogue soldiers one by one. Some stood by only to finish the ambush with comrades charging out in full artillery strikes and depleting smaller teams of soldiers. These strategies proved effective.

However, Galbadia also had a couple of winning strategies. News travelled by word of mouth of one galbadian soldier in particular who was carrying a grenade launcher to take out the rebels. Nechku took it upon himself to take this man out. He would not tolerate hearing of his men being blown to bits by anyone.

"_I hope you don't have any lingering feelings for Galbadia. It is important that we take close to zero prisoners."_

Once the grenade launcher wielding soldier had been spotted by Nechku and his circle of men, he made it a point to become the next target. He threw himself in the street before this particular man. He stood tall and firm, then gave his chest a thump with a strong left fist. The soldier grinned and took aim, arrogantly failing to realize the others had been hiding behind the parked cars lined up and down the street. Together they landed blows to his head and face with the hilts of their guns and swords to remove the weapon from his possession. At the same time, a miniature tank was rolling after finding that the man in a silver mask seemed to be in charge of this attack. Once he was finally in their radar, they would fire at him until he was dead. Because the radio signal was down, they had also lost the ability to use guided missiles and could only rely upon manual targeting. As long as he was in the line of fire, it would be enough to kill him and remove their leader, the soldiers thought.

Nechku's men claimed the loaded grenade launcher and set it up for an attack. Once it had been fired the grenade connected to a weak point between its plates of shields and wiped out the truck, sending burnt rubble scattering about the street. Even in both victories, there was still no time to cheer. Nechku forced his men to push on.

Robby had waited the full fifteen minutes to start up his backup power pack and was able to reconnect the signal. Because of the model radios he and his comrades were using, the backup kit would only work for the faction. The galbadian channel would continue to be jammed. Watts opened the sewer slowly and looked around, trying to make sense of the fog looming in the air. When his radio buzzed at his side, he dropped the drainage top and climbed down the ladder for a second. The signal was back up, and it was his duty to report any lingering soldier and tank activity. He adjusted his radio to the new frequency wave and witnessed Robby screaming orders to the others about backing away from their remote bomb targeted areas.

"_The truth is we haven't come up with a real plan after this attack. So even if we win this battle, what happens after that is beyond us."_

With his plan in action, he singlehandedly set off the remote bombs from his devices and destroyed the targeted tanks. One by one, the miniature tanks exploded and were scattered abroad Timber along with the combined effort of the men wielding the grenade launcher.

Some of the soldiers had begun to retreat. That in itself was proof enough that Galbadia was indeed outnumbered, and had been the subject of surprise.

"_If you think you have some type of plan against those new soldiers, I suggest you pitch in as soon as possible."_

All throughout the city the fighting was coming to an end as the galbadian soldiers had been killed one by one. There were scarcely any prisoners taken in, as the soldiers adamantly fought back until death.

"_I wouldn't want this small victory to have been in vain."_

A few soldiers had managed to break through the north gates, and ran outside. They were surprised to find a large fleet of galbadian soldiers lined up ant waiting. The escapees breathed sighs of relief if only momentarily. These soldiers had suddenly taken aim at them, ready to follow through. The moment the runaways felt comfort in knowing that their backup had indeed arrived soon diminished just as those men wearing the very same uniform began firing upon them until they were dead. There was no escape.

One of those men, wearing the galbadian uniform and equipped with a rifle, swallowed his breath hard before he too pulled the trigger. His eyes had seen hell, but there was a newfound hope being in possession of the enemy's weapon. More escapees flooded at Timber's gate. He would need to shoot again. When his bullets struck an opposing soldier, he felt a familiar cringe at the pit of his stomach erupt and the same excruciating acids simmered once again.

"_I'll think of something," _Squall had answered Kiros. _"I didn't come all the way back here to fail."_

The area surrounding the police station was covered with soldiers. It might have been the sign of one of Galbadia's last strongholds trying to change the tides of this battle. The two battle leaders found themselves merging their individual teams together in order to secure this particular area. The wolverine mask suited him well. Kiros went ahead, katana blades drawn and pitted in a rage of attacks. He slashed and deflected bullets as the soldiers shot toward he and the others. Nechku lifted his machine gun to return the same courtesy of gunfire upon the men who had been shooting at them all along. The line of soldiers could not stand up to these two, let alone the mob of rebels behind them. The area was cleared of soldiers just as fast as the two teams gathered. Kiros had then led his men on to another targeted area while Nechku stayed behind at the police station with his own team.

The man in the silver owl mask now found himself inside the police station, in the main control room. The warden and his men held up their hands in defense. The warden himself pointed out the main lever that would trigger the cells open. Nechku spared no time in pulling down the release switch. Immediately all the cell doors unlocked and slid open. The detainees ran to the front of the building cheering that they had been freed. Raine was the last to emerge, watching the man in the silver owl mask approach her slowly. He then handed her one of the galbadian firearms. She grinned and took it carefully, then checked its functionality. It was in working order and had already been loaded. With a deep breath, she turned away from Nechku and led him to the front of the building where the others had continued to hold the warden and his men at gunpoint.

She pointed to the head warden, the one who had spat lies about the rebel's leaders being dead, and motioned for him to follow her. He rose from his knees on the floor and raised his hands above his head defensively. Raine ushered him out of the room with Nechku behind her, motioning for the others to do the same with the remaining uniformed men.

When they reached the cells, she pointed inside the cell and motioned her head toward it. He immediately understood that she wanted him to go inside, and he did just that. She slammed it shut behind him and the others followed her example, placing them into the cell as there were only four remaining officers for now. The masked men cleared out and left Raine and Nechku inside. She grinned first and then faced the warden.

"I suppose you'll have to ask your _commander_ to free you… I wouldn't hold my breath though. It seems like your countrymen are better at neglecting you than they are at aiding you. Sleep tight."

She led Nechku out of the holding chambers and he shut the door behind them. The lights were shut off after their leaving and the warden and his men were left in utter darkness.

Once outside of the station, the freed prisoners followed Nechku and the rest of the crowd outside to continue their pursuit of soldiers. They would go through tearing through buildings and engaging into crossfire, ultimately destroying the soldiers where they found them. As arrogant as most of the galbadians were and had arrived, so had they fought and very few of them had actually surrendered. Those who surrendered were taken to the jail cells at the police station.

When the last of the soldiers were extinguished, the rebels began an outpour of cheer and glee. They had finally won. Victory was finally theirs to claim. Timber had been liberated of all the galbadian soldiers. The soldiers outside continued to patrol, watching for stragglers.

It seemed to have quieted down almost all at once and everywhere. Squall occasionally heard a gunshot or two, but nothing extremely serious. He wondered about the outcome of their battle, though he knew there would be no peace whichever way it ended today. If the battle was won, the faction would be due for a new encounter from more troops, and if lost, his father would most likely have Timber erased from all known maps as well as history books.

Their situation was almost hopeless; however, if it truly were hopeless from the beginning, he might not have ever felt the need to betray his father. Somewhere deep inside his heart, he knew that his father could be reached and he might be the only person capable of doing such a thing. Maybe he could stop his father before things got really out of control, though with their newest victory, especially if they were victorious, would most likely be linked to their string of crimes against his father and the nobles of Deling City. Even so, Squall felt that he must find a way to get through the thick, stubborn layer of his father's heart, and a battle might be the only way to do it.

"That's good! It stopped finally," a soft voice emerged from the door opening behind him. He rose to his feet almost instantly, regrettably sitting after finally getting tired of standing in one place for about an hour or two for now. She seemed to freeze there when he faced her slowly with the wolf's mask that hid the entirety of his face, save for his eyes and the tip of his chin. The wolf's mouth would forgo his own, like a real animal. Squall even remembered wondering for a moment if it had been the real thing while he was standing out on patrol that day of course.

Luckily, she had been masked herself, using the mask discarded by Laguna when it came time for him to leave. She was not able to tell what kind of creature it was, though it seemed to be a chipmunk or something of the sort.

"Ahem," the masked man grunted, unsure of where to start. He hadn't exactly given thought as to what or who he was guarding after all this time till now. Although he was sure it was someone, just who was surprising enough. Now it seemed more obvious than a surprise, and he felt a bit dumb for not guessing sooner.

"Hello," she said softly, then opened the door wider to step all the way through. He noticed her arm had been bandaged up.

"Hi," he answered, still in shock. Why hadn't Kiros told him anyway?

"…Is it…is it over?" She motioned her hand toward Timber, the source of the sounds of fading gunfire.

"…I think it's getting down to the very end of it for now, but most of it is over, I guess."

"It sounded pretty bad, huh" she raised her hand to touch her forearm while shifting her weight more to her left leg.

"Yeah," he brought his eyes toward the Timber area and frowned beneath his mask. "…I haven't received any word back from anyone yet, so I can't tell you if what's happened over there is good or bad."

"Please…I don't want to think about it. I just want my family to be safe."

Squall brought his hand to his waist and faced her again. Her voice was extremely familiar. At first when she spoke, she sounded like a generic female, but the longer she spoke he was able to hear the varying ranges in pitch and tone in each of her words, and breaths. She sounded just like the girl in that owl mask from before.

"I can't tell you not to worry, but try not to think about what's going on over there," he lowered his hands. "Maybe you should try to sleep."

"No, I-I can't sleep. I just woke up!"

"Well you can't stay out here, it's still dangerous."

"Are you ordering me to go back inside?"

"Yes," he folded his arms.

"There's no one here, but us! I'm supposed to stay in my room all day and _not_ think about the fact that everyone I know is involved in all that gunfire miles away, and I _can't _do anything about it because I've sprang my wrist!"

"Err…" Squall looked down at the ground, as though fidgeting. He was surprised that she had not stopped for a breath. He then returned his eyes to hers, "Look, Kiros told me to make sure you're safe and sound in here. I'm doing my job by standing guard. I'm sure that once everything is settled over there, Kiros will come back to get us, but in the meantime, I'm not sure what's going on either, and I don't want to risk being caught off guard and attacked. I'm sure your family wouldn't want that to happen either. I understand it's difficult to remain in one place when so much is happening, but you would do better to stay in a safe area rather than run off and find yourself in a greater predicament."

The female was silent for a while as if thinking and negotiating his words in her mind. He had made several points. It wouldn't help to get into more danger or get injured again, possibly more than she already was by wandering off alone in hopes of learning the outcome of their battle.

"Fine," she had finally made up her mind. As he suggested, she would return to her room. "I'll go because I don't want to get _you_ sidetracked from your _mission_, and not because you're _ordering_ me to." Rinoa would turn away from him, but stopped suddenly to face him once again giving him another piece of her mind, "All alone? He told you to guard my room all on your own?"

_What's that supposed to mean? _Squall gnashed within. "I can hold my ground, that's why. You have nothing to worry about."

"How would I know?"

"You could start by trusting Kiros' judgment."

"I only met him in person _today!_"

Squall took a deep breath and cocked his head to the side agitatedly, "…Are you gonna go inside or not? This is getting irritating."

"_You're_ irritating. I need some fresh air," she rolled her eyes, folding her arms with an attitude. Rinoa held her head up and looked toward the wilderness ahead of them. Squall shook his head and pressed his hand upon the mask, sighing a bit before hearing her releasing a gasp.

Rinoa pointed out into the wilderness where Squall found his body turning to face it, and they saw an oncoming galbadian vehicle, it was down the road a ways away. They were probably too far away to be noticed so easily, but in a risky situation nonetheless.

"Go inside, now!" He ordered, following her into the room and closing the door. They gathered to the window that was to the right of the door and studied the road ahead from there. They peeled the blinds and watched. For a moment, both were panting out of fear, but after a moment, Rinoa held her breath and then grinned. "Aren't you like my bodyguard?"

"…Err, just…be quiet," hearing the term 'bodyguard' made him uncomfortable for some reason. He hadn't exactly given it thought, but she was correct in a sense.

"No, I mean, you're supposed to be out _there_ standing guard, right?"

He pulled his eyes away from the blinds and looked at her blankly. "You want me to go out there and stick out like a sore thumb, alone against a truckload of soldiers..?"

"…You're prepared for the worst, aren't you?"

His eyes narrowed. _He should've locked this door on the outside and given me the key._

"Why are you looking at me like that, I'm only kidding, geez," she gave a playful smile. "You told me to keep my mind off of things in general… Right…?"

"Yeah and what a great idea _that _was," he rolled his eyes and brought them to the window again. Rinoa's grin widened. When the vehicle finally came closer into view, they found that it was a galbadian tanker, no doubt, just like those gathered at his base on the outskirts of Deling. It seemed to cruise through Kiros' land, but sped up as it met with the connecting road to Timber.

"What was that about?" Rinoa asked aloud. "I wonder if they know we're here…?"

_Maybe they're looking to attack the rebel base after all that gunfire, but even so, why send in one car? What is Martine thinking? Well, I suppose it's better for the rebels that way. I'm sure they can handle one car…. 'They...' Seems like I'm already forgetting whose side I'm on._ Squall grinned a bit, but then felt her eyes staring at his mask, or possibly at his eyes.

He gave her a quizzical look, causing her to correct herself. Rinoa stepped away from the window embarrassingly.

"I was just wondering," she admitted while touching her fingertips to the bandages across her arm, "Isn't that mask hot?"

"Honestly, I don't want to think about it."

"…Because the second you do—"

"Yeah, it feels like it gets hotter."

"Sorry," she giggled and turned away from him, "I just wonder if you still have that _other_ mask. It seemed lighter than that one."

He waved his hand through the air nonchalantly, only taking a moment to register that she had remembered him from before as well. The boy smirked. "Not like yours is any better either. What is that anyway, a gopher?"

"IT _IS_ YOU!" she ran to him cheerfully and gave him a light hug. The girl stepped away from him quickly, rendering him a bit embarrassed. He backed away and brought his hand to the back of his neck, fidgeting around. "You can't fool me, you know?"

"I wasn't trying to," he raised his hands defensively and gathered his thoughts.

"It's good to know that you've managed to stay alive since we parted ways."

"Same."

"…I was really worried," she looked away from him. Squall was taken aback by her words. "Because…well, at the time, it seemed like a good idea to go with my friend, but then I _couldn't _know what would happen to you after we basically just ditched you. I wanted to apologize if…"

"…Don't worry about it. Like I said, I can handle myself well," he placed his left hand on his waist and leaned on his right leg. "My destination was here, not in Timber. You were right to make that decision."

"Even so, I felt horrible…"

"There's no point in thinking back to that time. You made it to where you needed to go in time and without any problems. That's all."

"Okay, okay, I'll get over myself," she fanned him away. "…Wouldn't Kiros be angry if he knew we're already acquainted?"

"…I'm not sure, but it's not like we've seen each other's faces."

"…." She looked down to the floor shyly. "I guess you're right. I won't speak about this, just to be safe."

"Me neither."

"So, what now?"

"We should stay here until Kiros comes back. I just hope that that was the only Galbadian truck on its way to Timber."

In the sky, the evening sun shone a dark shade of peach. As the vehicle reached Timber's gates, it came to a complete stop. Lieutenant Martine exited the truck and folded his arms behind his back. He walked toward his men with a stern face while being approached by the captain appointed at his hands.

"All areas have been secured, sir," Captain Fibbs announced to Martine while striking a strong salute. "The faction is now working inside to extinguish all the remaining soldiers. Their strategy is pretty effective and they have yet to call in for our support, sir."

"I see. Good job, men! Once they've completely neutralized the area, we'll need to help them collect the dead. Load up the bodies and bring them back to the base. You will remain at the base once all the bodies have been gathered. Prepare to move out," the lieutenant spoke and then headed back to his vehicle.

"Yes, sir! All forces prepare to gather the dead!" Fibbs yelled aloud and had the others speak of the lieutenant's orders by word of mouth. Watts and Robby's radios both picked up that their allies in uniform were beginning to enter the city to gather the bodies of their fallen soldiers. The volume on their radios accelerated in unison once Watts was entering the hall where Robby remained.

"Some help they were," Watts grinned with folded arms. "…But I guess it's good to know we can count on them."

"…Yeah, but for how long," Robby sighed. "Seems like everyone who gets caught by them, stays with them…."

"What do you mean?"

"…I've got friends and a younger brother who were snagged by that rat long ago, and they haven't come back yet."

"…They're dead?"

"Not quite, but I don't think they're really…alive either, if being a soldier is basically like accepting death and all."

"…You think they chose to be there?"

"Maybe, and maybe not. I guess we'll just have to maintain our grip on Timber to see how long they want to be soldiers for now."

"Yeah, and maybe they'll come back when everything's over," Watts smiled confidently.

"When everything's over?" Robby laughed. "Why do I get a bad feeling when I hear you say that?"

"…Then why are you laughing, sir?"

"…To keep from crying," he grinned and looked down at the remaining supplies on the floor. They had a good bit of everything in stock. There were less troops than everyone expected, not that that was such a bad thing. It was probably the only real factor as to why their efforts became victorious today. If not for the small troop count, it was their hearts. _We won because we believed we could win, or something of the other,_ Robby thought.

"_Continue to phone in all reports of spotted soldiers. We've got the majority of them under control now."_

"_Aye, sir!"_

The radios continued blaring as well as scattered gunfire, the mere sounds of a fading battle, a fading victory.

* * *

_Notepaper: _

* * *

_Hey, everyone! How's it going? I've wanted to update this one for quite awhile. While I'm excited that my other story is back up and running, I feel obligated to complete this one as well. I owe it to you all. Sorry about the wait. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to bring you more soon. Let me know what you thought of it. Take it easy! (lol, I had a roman numeral fail, lol!)_

_Ray_

_[Hey...quick question. Do I seem like a mean person? I'm a klutz when it comes to responding to reviews-I get all weird, loopy, and corny...Sorry!]_


	10. The Outcome

_**Fate, Wild**_

_Chapter X: The Outcome_

Once the city was clear of all the remaining enemies, Neckhu changed his orders from firing upon soldiers to taking them prisoner and helping their allies in collecting the bodies scattered abroad. He found himself walking up in a familiar neighborhood and a certain street. An utterly destroyed apartment building met his eyes. Its remains still smoldered into the crackling ground. Passerby was scarce, everyone busying with his or her specific orders. The peach light from the sun remained active in the streets of Timber, still blazing and stagnant. Even being on the verge of setting, it would not help to cool the remaining hill of debris. His eyes shifted from the crumpled mass and to a woman standing out at its front with folded arms.

Raine stared at the remnants of her home. Her eyes were distraught. Many years had been invested into that home, even being connected to an apartment building. Not just she and her family, but everyone who had been living in that building lost their home with the aggressiveness of Galbadia. Raine's ocean blue eyes became solemn and deep. He approached her slowly, placing his weapon into its carrier at his side.

"I…I almost forgot it looked like this now," he whispered, approaching her side quietly and taking in the view of their newly destroyed home. Raine hadn't taken her eyes away.

"The warden said this happened," her voice was barely a whisper. "…I didn't want to believe it," she continued, "I kept thinking about Rinoa, about her safety…and you."

"Rinoa is fine," he faced her. "I got her out of there just before they blew this place to bits."

"I figured you would," she smiled, finally breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm glad."

"No way was I going to stand idle while they put her life in danger, both of you. I couldn't have that."

"Me neither, and there was nothing I could do being locked up and all," she closed her eyes, shutting out the sight deadness, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "That was a stupid thing to do…allowing myself to be captured like that."

"No, I know what you had in mind. It just doesn't work so well when you're fighting a barbaric enemy."

"Barbaric," she frowned, opening her eyes and bringing them to his. "…We just slaughtered all these men…"

"We're at war. Casualties happen."

"Laguna," she grumbled. Raine took a deep breath, eyes still watering. Laguna reached out his hand to arm, grabbing her shoulder tenderly.

"Maybe the general will realize we mean serious business and attempt to straighten up his act toward us. These casualties are a warning. We're taking back our city by force. Peace talks are pointless, and besides, they would've leveled this entire place in a day or two anyway, right? Look at what they did to our building!"

"Yeah, you're right," she lifted her hand to grab his at her shoulder and squeezed it as he took a step closer to her. He saw the pain in her eyes, and all on her face. He too had shared that pain. He wanted it to end soon, to live in peace soon. Laguna pulled her in closely, holding her tightly. Raine had then pulled back a slight just to see face, silently reminding him that the he was still adorned in his silver mask. Laguna stepped back to remove the mask, grinning sheepishly as he had forgotten about it all along. She smiled peacefully and hugged him again.

He pulled away from her slowly and looked into her eyes, murmuring, "…I was scared that you wouldn't be there if we waited any longer."

"I wouldn't have let them take me away on that bus. I knew you'd be here in time," she muttered.

"You can always count on me," he smiled.

"I know," she answered, briefly returning his smile. "You always end up doing the right thing. In the end, it was my fault for allowing our situation to escalate to this point. …All this time I've been focused on raising money to help the families when I totally neglected our defense. The army was getting more aggressive, but I chose not to address that…"

"Raine," he held her closely. "That's why there are two of us. We've got each other's backs, specializing in the area the other one lacks in, right? It's a series of complements, a partnership; like our marriage. Two heads are better than one, four are better than two, you know?"

"Four?" She cocked an eyebrow at her husband, and his goofy way of explaining things to make her feel better.

He shrugged while pulling away from her, "Don't worry about it, I'm just rambling as usual, but you get the idea."

She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her for now. It was like medicine to her hurting heart and a remedy to their seemingly helpless situation. "So," she cleared her throat softly, "how is Rinoa?"

"She's fine, but she sprang her wrist falling down in our _daring _escape from the house."

"Aww," Raine sighed.

"No, no, she's really okay!" he reassured her, defensively. "She's staying at Kiros' till everything settles down here. Rinoa's being guarded well, he said."

"I hope so," Raine frowned as her eyes were cast down to the ground. "It's a shame we couldn't be with her through all this chaos."

"Speaking of which, we need to keep this city occupied for as long as possible," Laguna stepped back from her embrace and slid his mask on again quickly. She found his adorable eyes behind the silver mask.

"I understand, but I think one of us should check on Rinoa and make sure they're all doing fine there," Raine said seriously. "I'll go."

"Yeah, that's fine. You should get some sleep when you're there, too. I know it couldn't have been comfortable in that jail cell," Laguna frowned, feeling guilty that he had had to leave her there for as long as he did. Raine giggled before answering him with a shake of her head. Laguna shrugged his shoulders, "Okay then. You'll go there and I'll be here putting things back into order. I'm positive Kiros may even want to drive you there himself. It should be safe to move about in the wide open for now."

Raine nodded in agreement.

"Be careful," she said to him while embracing him once more, her head resting against the ends of tresses from his mask.

"You too," he answered, allowing Raine to lift of the mouth of his mask as he brought his mouth to her forehead first, giving her a quick peck there and then lowering his mouth to her lips where he placed a warm kiss. Raine held on to him tightly, savoring their brief moment together.

Within a matter of minutes, Raine left Laguna's side and found the rest of the men in the middle of the city gathering the galbadian tanks scattered abroad. All occupied vehicles were driven there to be inventoried and studied. Robby was in charge of organizing all technological issues, and basically went among them to study the vehicles that were driven to this designated area one at a time. It was there where Raine spotted Kiros, still among those armed and also wearing his mask.

"How's it going over here?" She asked him and received a healthy nod.

"It's fine," he answered full heartily. "We're gathering discarded weapons and vehicles. The lieutenant's men have been ordered to gather the dead and then they're to leave. They've no intention of having a side itinerary here."

"That's good. To think that they even decided to help us with this… It just goes to show that everyone's starting to get tired the general's madness. In order to make true progress, taking this initial step was necessary. I'm glad we took a shot at it before we all got too old."

There was a smile upon Kiros' dreary face now. "It's been years since we've all seen _this_ kind of action. I'm just glad to see that most of us have still got it." The tall man stretched forth his arms, relaxing his muscles. Raine grinned, eying him peculiarly.

"You couldn't wait for this plan, I bet."

Kiros laughed softly sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. "…I hate to admit it, but yes, I think I've been waiting to do this for a _long_ time. To be one step closer to Timber's complete liberation…I'll give it everything I've got, and I'm sure everyone out here will say the same thing."

"True, though you guys could've gotten me out of jail _sooner_! I wanted to kick some ass too," the brunette chuckled against her hand, looking about the area at the busy men.

"That would be Laguna's fault," Kiros admitted, retaining his grin.

"Naturally," she laughed and folded her arms, until finally settling down a bit. A large tank bypassed them, honking at Kiros and he waved back. Raine studied the tank shortly before her eyes became serious again. "He told me that Rinoa's at your place. I'm gonna head there now."

"I could take you if you'd like. These guys have everything under control," Kiros placed his left hand on his waist. "There's also someone I want you all to meet later, but that's only until we've gotten this place situated by tonight."

"Yeah, it's still pretty hectic everywhere. Laguna's busy on the other side of the town sending the truckers here. Someone phoned in about a few soldiers hiding out inside a one of those tanks."

"I heard," Kiros nodded. "It seems like they handled the situation well. Those soldiers were detained. We're using the police station to hold all the prisoners for now." Kiros lowered is heavy brown eyes to the ground, unsure of how she would react to the rest of his statement. "We could send them to the base. I'll have the lieutenant look into that later. We can't be bothered looking after them here…"

"Indeed, there's still a lot to do, but I know it's going to be alright," Raine looked away, staring at the chaotic scene around them and in a daze. Kiros took that moment to study her face. She was staring away with the same serious look as the boy in the wolf's mask. Kiros had had his suspicions all along about his lineage even before the young galbadian commander even gave him his full name. Squall looked a lot more like Raine than Laguna, though he shared the intensity of both their eyes. "I'm sure Rinoa is quite worried," Raine whispered, finally.

"Yeah, we should leave right now," Kiros motioned for her to join him. Together they would find a working vehicle and take the south gate out of Timber. Driving down the dirt road, the two reached his land in a short while. By the time they had arrived, it was nearly dark; though, even in that darkness Raine immediately took notice of a masked man standing out front of the resting quarters with his hands at his sides as a soldier would.

Kiros grinned. He truly had been raised to be a soldier like his known father. For a moment, he wondered how Squall might react upon finding out the truth of his parents. Quickly, the thought evaporated as he concentrated on present matters. Still, he wondered if the boy had even taken the time to see about the person he had been protecting all day long.

Raine got out of the car and ran past him, muttering a soft 'thank you' as she entered into Rinoa's room.

"Mom?" Rinoa said, turning away from the window. She had been looking out of the blinds since hearing the sound of a car's engine pulling in. "Mom!"

Raine closed the door behind and trotted toward her daughter with opened arms and a wide smile. Rinoa held her tightly. "I was so worried!" Rinoa murmured into the woman's shoulder.

"I know! So was I," Raine continued holding her. "I'm so sorry about leaving you. Everything's fine now, sweetheart."

"And dad?" Rinoa asked, pulling away from her quickly. "Is he okay?"

"Yes, he's still in the city helping to clean up."

The girl sighed in relief, allowing her heart to calm down finally. She wiped soft tears away from her eyes. "Felt like the longest day ever."

"Tell me about it. I had the longest _night_ ever," Raine chuckled and walked toward Rinoa's small bed, taking a seat.

"Are you tired, hungry, or thirsty? Can I get you anything?" The girl asked. "But…I don't think there's anything to eat here…"

"No sweetie, it's okay; although, I am a bit tired. I think I'll rest in one of these rooms for a while."

"Okay," Rinoa smiled and walked closer to her mother, lowering her eyes and touching her fingers to the bandage at her arm. "Why didn't dad come back with you anyway?"

"Like I said, he's still helping to clean up. Once everything calms down, we can either stay here or go back to Timber. It's your choice."

"Go back…?" The girl asked, staring at her mother quizzically.

"Yeah," Raine nodded. "Timber is ours again, why not enjoy it?"

The girl's eyes lit up excitedly.

Outside, Kiros explained what was happening to Squall who stood before him, arms folded.

"Aren't you going to tell them?" The teenager questioned his superior.

"I will, but first we need to concentrate on organizing ourselves and maintaining a positive focus, at least for tonight."

Squall looked back at the room momentarily and lowered his voice, "We don't know when that fleet is coming, but they're coming here soon. I think we should start making preparations as soon as possible, like you said. I think we should tell them later tonight."

"…And we will. We'll take it one day at a time, and today we'll concentrate on clearing out the bodies from the streets. Once everything's situated, I'll inform them of what's happening. Just because you know something they all don't, doesn't mean you need to go about at random to scare the people with that news."

"I'm not trying to scare anybody. This is a very serious matter and it needs to be addressed immediat—"

"Kiros," Raine called out to him from the room behind them. Kiros was still looking at Squall for a moment, slightly glaring until turning about, facing the woman as she stood in the doorway with a smile. The light beamed behind her creating a conflicting light that made her front appear dark and hidden. Kiros couldn't see her face as she continued, "We'll be fine here. If you want to head back to the city now, you can."

"Alright then, be careful," he folded his arms and grinned with a deep breath. "If you plan on staying here, I'll have some of the guys head back this way later on. And if you change your mind, there are a couple of trucks parked in the barn. Keys are in top dresser in my office."

"Thanks!"

"No problem," he answered, turning around to walk toward the car they had used to get there. Squall followed after him. He looked back to the woman standing in the doorway momentarily, but then faced the vehicle once more. He and Kiros hopped in the car and Kiros drove back to Timber to assist the others with clearing out the city. Driving into Timber, Squall realized it was the first time he had ever been directly inside. The only other time he was ever within Timber was when he was brought to the underground meeting.

With the sun nowhere to be found, the street lights were beginning to turn on automatically one by one.

There were men and women, masked and unmasked scattered about the streets helping to reorganize the bounty obtained from their recent victory. Squall realized at the foot of town, there was a large group of galbadian soldiers jumping into trucks and pulling out of the city, but before he could investigate further, Kiros had found work for him to do with the others. He found Robby making a list of repairs that would need to be made concerning their accumulated galbadian weaponry, tanks and all. Squall was asked to hand deliver collected rifles and such across the city and into the buildings that became designated storage facilities to the faction.

It was during these tasks that Squall took the time to observe the city structures closely.

Time elasped quickly. It grew even later in the night. When there was nothing more for him to help with, he took an unbothered stroll around the town. The streets were made of bricks, buildings taller than most of the structures in Deling City, save for significant residencies as his old home. There were two levels to Timber, the bottome level consisted mostly of residentual sectors combined with work offices built within the taller buildings, while the upper half existed in only certain areas where the ground level was higher. It served the purpose of housing simple necessity stores. If anyone lived on the upper level, they were probably making less money than those staying at the bottom between the lofty buildings. The higer up the home, the tighter the squeeze as these homes existed at the tops of the local businesses and was barely enough room for one person.

Despite the forest lands surrounding this city, there was hardly any greenery present. At least in Deling City, he actually had a front and back lawn to play in or pretend to play in as a child. He couldn't imagine growing up with cement everywhere. It was confining. The walls surrounded the city like a prison. They were thick and strong, and very tall. On a more positive note, it reminded him of an ancient, medieval time, when men clad themselves in knight's armor and rode into battle upon horses, leaving bloody trails in combat. It certainly gave him an idea as far as a well thought out defense mechanism for Timber.

He had already thought of two things to consider as he walked around with nothing more than the sounds of scattered footsteps in the lantern lit streets and his own eager mind to keep him company.

Depending on the leader's decision, they could either fight back or flee. Fleeing would mean leaving this very large and beautiful city behind. Considering the amount of debris he had helped to clear out today, he knew they would not immediately choose this option. If they were to stay and fight, the walls surrounding Timber could be utilized to the maximum extent.

Also, he would see to it that their soldiers were properly trained. It was the least he could do; after all, he had only wanted to return to assist in their defense. He knew they would never allow him to set foot into the battle beyond that; at least, Kiros wouldn't.

It wasn't long before midnight arrived that Kiros found Squall upon the bridge at the center of the town which overlooked some of the unfinished railroads. For a moment, he wondered why the boy had been staring so closely at this site.

"Got something on your mind?" Kiros asked him, approaching him slowly.

"…I… I never realized the railroads aren't up and running here," he sighed. "…I'm sorry."

Kiros shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the same tracks with a sigh. His eyes frowned a bit. "…The general made lots of cuts a few years back, and everyone working on those tracks was fired unexpectedly. Not long after that, we all started to see our taxes rising."

Squall faced him with sorrowful eyes behind his mask.

"Come with me," the taller man said, immediately. "We'll be speaking with Nechku soon, and because he somewhat knows our situation, he has agreed to keep this as a private meeting."

The brunet nodded and followed Kiros off the walking bridge and down the side steps that would lead them into the housing districts again. After walking a bit, they came upon the scene of the smoldering remains of a building complex. The ground had caved in and the sounds of the sewer had been muffled the greatness of debris. The air held a mixture of raw sewerage and smoke, it was enough to distract Squall for a short while. There was nothing left of this area now, just smoke and rubble. He saw a man in a silver mask standing before it, and staring intently upon the debris. The teenager stopped dead in his tracks. The mask seemed ghostly, glowing brighter in the darkness.

When he heard their footsteps sounding toward him, Nechku turned around abruptly. Squall noticed that his eyes were smiling; although, the young man could not find why he had the strength to smile after all they had been through today. Their frames were covered in dim lighting from the remaining street lights on this particular street. The other buildings and houses still stood tall around them, but they seemed to be the only ones in this area. Maybe he had wanted it this way.

Kiros approached the masked man first, bowing halfway out of respect first.

"I can attest for all the words this young man is about to speak," he said. "He is reliable and can be trusted. Please hear him out. Wolf," the wolverine masked man said as he faced Squall, "If you will…"

Squall joined Kiros before the man in the owl's mask.

Once he was standing before Nechku, Kiros silenty urged him to speak and then faced his leader.

Squall nodded to him and looked upon the silver mask first, observing how it had sparkled with crystal like jewels about the eyes and mouth area. He bowed just as Kiros had, although a bit awkwardly.

The boy cleared his throat and began to speak, "Thank you." The teenager wet his lips and continued, "I regret to inform you that the general plans to send troops here really soon. These are no ordinary soldiers. …He plans to send a squadron that is currently stationed in Esthar to raid Timber as soon as possible. This order, I have heard General Caraway speak of, himself."

"Hmm…What do you mean 'no ordinary soldiers'?" Nechku questioned him.

"These men were meant to be stationed in Esthar to gain access to forbidden weaponry. In the end, they will be using a wide array of technologically advanced weapons, based on Estharian design. It is the general's step into a new era."

"And how do you know all this?"

"…" Squall's heart raced within. "…I ran errands for the general, and happened upon this information, sir."

Laguna grinned, staring upon the boy who's eyes he faintly saw provided by the dim lighting around them. "Errand boy…? …Somehow I doubt that, but if my friend standing beside you says that you can be trusted, then I have no other choice but to put my trust into you as well. Welcome aboard, son."

"Thank you, sir," Squall bowed again and stepped back as Laguna did the same for him.

"Well then," Kiros cut in, "We're still in the processing of understanding exactly when this attack will take place. In the meantime, do you have any ideas about how we can stop it?"

"Hmm," Laguna folded his arms and looked into the sky at the faint stars above.

Squall's eyes shifted between the two men at first, wondering if would be allowed to speak again. When the moment persisted and the other masked men still hadn't spoken, he cleared his throat and stepped forward, "Pardon me, I feel that I might know what to expect a little more than most of our forces, as my departure from Galbadia is the most recent. I would like to be part of the defensive strategy against this squadron and against the general, and I would also like to instruct anyone who is lacking in the ability to fight well, sir."

"…And if we should fail," Laguna muttered his question, brown eyes still taking a mental picture of the sky and the moon hidden behind a cloak of clouds.

"Then the fault would be mine to carry, sir."

The man looked down to the boy in the wolf mask, locking eyes with his familiar blue orbs. "…You're no errand boy, that's for sure." Laguna smiled again, and then faced Kiros, "He put up quite a fight, I'm betting." Squall looked over at Kiros curiously, who kept his eyes on Nechku as he continued, "What do you think? You think I should allow him?"

"…He won't take no for an answer, regardless," Kiros grinned.

"Understood," Laguna gave him a quick nod. "Alright then," the man took a deep breath. "I would like you to not only be part of the defensive strategy, but to train those of our men who lack the necessary skills of combat as you offered. I'm sure you've noticed that our army is made up of people your age and so on. Unlike you, they aren't comfortable with using swords. Most of them prefer guns," he said as he motioned his hand down to the machine gun strapped in his holster. "Not only am I asking you to train them, but I would like you to give us a detailed outlook on what to expect from the upcoming battle. Let us know what we're up against, this 'forbidden weaponry' you previously mentioned."

Laguna placed both hands on his waist, "Please know that I will in no way put you in the position of having to bear all responsibility. Don't feel that you've failed us if something should go wrong, either. That's not my or anyone's intention at all. I would like to personally thank you for bringing us this information and extend a warm welcome to you. Furthermore, if you don't feel comfortable revealing your identity, we won't pressure you into doing so. We understand that identity is our top priority, as well as a major weapon in this war against Galbadia. Now, there's a lot to do in so little of time. We can't afford to simply stand around and chat. My friend," Laguna looked at Kiros. "Thank you, please get some rest."

"I intend to," Kiros answered.

"Wolf, there's a room for you at the hotel here also. Please do the same."

"Thank you, I will," Squall whispered and swallowed his breath.

"We'll start tomorrow. Timber's pride is on the line and I don't intend to see it fall short," Laguna said, with a grin.

Later, Squall was escorted through the city by Kiros' men until finding a small strip of street paved with small stores. At the very end of this street, Timber's proud hotel stood tall. Squall was led inside and helped at the counter. He eventually found his room on the second floor after taking the elevator up. He walked down the long hallway coming across room 206, his room. It was a large and spacious room with red carpeted floors and wooden furniture scattered about. There were plants made of rubber and painted green strategically placed to make the room appear more homely. The windows were draped in tan curtains, reminding him of the decorations his mother used to help with when it came to his own room. That was it. It reminded him of his bedroom at the mansion back in Deling City. Although glad to have a more comfortable room than any of the beds available at Kiros' place, it seemed rather too much for him. He wondered if there would be another place to sleep down the line, but then decided that taking the gesture now would be a better idea. After all, it had been a while since he last slept, now that he thought about it. He was tired.

Squall locked the room door and walked toward his bed. These were good people, he could tell just by speaking with their leader and Kiros, but there was an urge to investigate his room further. One could never be too careful. After walking around for bit invetigating, he decided the place was safe enough to rest in. Not that he had any more energy to spare if he had come across something out of the ordinary. All he needed now was to get some sleep before the busy days ahead began.

Suddenly, there was a light rapping at his door.

Squall reluctantly pushed himself from the bed and readjusted the mask upon his face, then walked to the door. He unlocked it and opened it slightly until a familiar mask came into his view. She was looking down the hall as though watching her back, in the midst of a covert operation. The girl returned her eyes to the door and jumped a bit. He had frightened her. She hadn't realized he had long since answered it.

After regaining her composure, she smiled, "Hey, fox, were you sleeping?"

He shrugged his shoulders and opened his door wider so she could enter, and she did so. Squall closed the door behind her and locked it. "What brings you here?" he asked with a light yawn, surprising himself.

"Just wanted to thank you for earlier…" Her voice was quiet, though muffled by the mask covering her face.

"Oh…" He looked down at the floor at first and then returned his eyes to hers, "You're welcome."

"I know it's silly. I'm sorry for barging in like this… It's just, I wanted to say that earlier, but you left and…yeah…" she laughed, feeling a little silly now that he was standing before her so silently. In her mind, she had foreseen this going a completely different way. She tried her best to follow through, awkwardly even. "I…I have a feeling you'll get really busy and I won't be able to talk to you like this anymore. So…um, I'm sorry for intruding," she muttered nervously, feeling like a sour presence because of his persistent silence. "I'll leave now."

"No," the brunet shook his head, "You're not intruding," He folded his arms, "I'm feeling a little out of it right now. …I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat down."

"Those beds will do that to you."

He smiled in agreement and cleared his throat. "Well, someone's gonna start to worry about you if you stay here any longer."

"Why do you say that?" She asked gently, placing her arms behind her back.

"…Just a hunch," he gestured his hand into the air.

"They should know that I'm in good hands," she chuckled and looked away, nervously. "…I was just wondering…" Rinoa took a deep breath, "No…never mind. You have a good night, Fox."

Squall cocked his head to the side, "It's a wolf, you know…"

"Yeah, but," She brought her eyes back to his, "I still like the fox mask better."

He grinned, "And what should I call you: Night Owl? Gopher?"

"No, those are ugly!" Rinoa laughed and raised her hands to her face to muffle her laughter. Squall had snickered a bit as well until it gradually died down and they were left standing there with nothing more than their eyes exposed to one another, smiling eyes of course. Slowly, she lowered her hands as if in thought, "Hmm," she grinned playfully. "Just call me Rinoa."

"What…?" Squall's grin was immediately lost. "…Ri—" she pushed the mask over his mouth, whispering to him, "That's between us, okay?"

The boy gulped and blinked his petrified eyes softly before forcing himself to respond, "Okay," he muffled beneath the mask that was railed against his mouth by her hand. She released It slowly.

"Goodnight, fox!" She whispered loudly and turned to his door.

"Goodnight, Nocturne."

"Nocturne?" She almost laughed out loud, "Come on, that doesn't even sound feminine."

"Well, how do I know you're not a guy beneath that mask?"

"Yeah, sure," Rinoa rolled her eyes, "I'm sure I fooled you with my _heavily masculine voice_," they laughed together at Rinoa's attempt at sounding like a man. Again, she had to cover her mouth before they were discovered. She formed her right hand into the silence gesture over her masked mouth. "We need to be quiet! They don't know I'm here."

"I figured that out a while ago," he whispered, trying to manage his laughter.

"Mhmm, well," she cleared her throat this time while lowering her hands. "Hey," her voice returned without the laughter. "I wish you the best of luck on your new assignment, Fox. I hear you have a lot on your shoulders, so take it easy."

"Thank you, I'll try," his voice mimicked hers. "You should take care of your arm."

"I'll do just that and heal nicely...who knows, you might end up having to train me too! Good night, for the last time tonight," she laughed and outstretched her hand toward him. He took her soft hand into his, shaking it firmly and yet gently. Rinoa was able to feel the calloused grip he held on hers, instantly she knew he had seen lots of hardwork; contrary to the smoothness of either Zone or Watts' hands.

"Goodnight, Rin," Squall erupted unexpectly.

The girl's eyes lit up instantly. "You gave me a shortcut name already?"

"…Oh…s-sorry," He hadn't even realized. It came so naturally to him. _Rinoa_…he thought to himself again, wondering what she looked like beneath the mask.

"No, it's okay…I like it," she whispered and stared into his eyes, as had he. Their eyes were like magnets again. Hers appeared incredibly soft against the bright lights of his room, a gentle browness that reminded him of his mother's; although, Rinoa's were deep and pure, enough to get lost in them forever. The boy immediately shook his head. Rinoa took it as her cue to leave. She then faced the door and unlocked it. He didn't want to see her leave just yet, but knew it was for the best. Squall wanted to at least return the gesture, granting her the opportunity of knowing his name as well.

Rinoa left no time for that. After opening the door, she studied the hall first and saw that the coast was clear. Looking back to him once more, she grinned with her eyes, and then hurriedly ran down to her room. He watched her enter steathily. Squall smiled, and after a few more seconds of lingering in his door way, he closed his door. He rested his forehead against the door, locking it for the last time tonight.

The boy released a shaky breath. What was he doing? He was beginning to find a friend in her. Though knowing he could most likely trust her or any of the faction members, it would be dangerous to continue down that path. He didn't even know anything personal about her or what she looked like beneath that mask, though he knew without even having to see the entirety of her face that she was most likely cute. Cute? What was he thinking? There was no time for this, he had a major role to play. Tomorrow he would get up early, get a hearty breakfast and begin his objectives. The sooner their men were trained, the better it would be to withstand Galbadia's latest threat.

But who could think about that now, with the memory of her eyes being too fresh in his mind to push away. Squall hit his head against the door in an attempt to keep focus. _"Just call me Rinoa."_

"…Great," Squall's sarcastic statement appeared in a murmur. He was developing a little crush on her that was most likely irreversible. This was not good.

* * *

_Notepaper:_

* * *

_Hey, everyone! If you're curious about what Squall's mask could possibly look like, I have a link in my profile that goes to my livejournal account. You can find the picture there. I'll be posting my book covers there from now on. My computer is misbehaving, and I haven't been able to draw or edit my pictures the way I'd like to, sadly. I'll be at livejournal quite often now, so you can even chat with me there if you want. What do you think of this chapter? Honestly, I like that Rinoa helps Squall to loosen up a bit. Considering their circumstances, I think things will begin to unfold more often now. I'm finding my rhythm again and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Thanks Gleamfang! War scenes aren't exactly my strong point, so I'm really glad to know you thought it was awesome, that's just amazing! Thanks again!_

_Ray_


	11. The Face Behind the Mask

_**Fate, Wild**_

_XI: The Face Behind the Mask_

Richard took one final look into the mirror at his reflection. Wearing his general uniform, his presence demanded respect and dominion. It would be the first time in a long time in which he had actually set foot outside of Deling City. It was time for an unexpected visit to a certain lieutenant's base. Since hearing the dire news of a hostile takeover occurring in Timber, he felt it time to pay Martine a visit. He might also acquire an explanation as to why the lieutenant's men suffered defeat after defeat.

Leaving his quarters, he marched through the lofty home and into the breakfast room where he found Julia seated with a cup of hot tea in her hands. Upon her husband's rather abrupt entry, she rested her tea cup onto its saucer with a soft tapping of glass against glass. The room was painted yellow, representing peacefulness, contrary to how she had felt on the inside. The walls enclosed in on her the longer he stood in the doorway while staring at her. Finally, she turned her attention to him.

Julia immediately noticed that he had been dressed to leave the facility.

"…Where are you off to this morning?" She had asked him, her voice barely overcoming the silence in the small, but spacious room.

"I've business elsewhere today. I'll come back in the afternoon."

The woman fingered the teacup's handle elegantly, lifting it upward to take a sip. Richard gave her a bewildering stare. There was a certain feeling that he could not shake away about his wife. It had been an ever existing nudge in the pit of his stomach growing larger over the extent of their marriage. Was there something she had been hiding from him all along?

She placed the teacup onto the saucer and grinned, albeit weakly. Ever since finding out about Squall's absence, he had known she had had something to do with it, whether directly or indirectly, it was for her to know and him to find out eventually. It had now been a week since the boy left and Julia hadn't raised a single question as to why he had disappeared. He found it strange. Usually, she was so genuinely concerned about his duties away from home, but now he saw a differently side to her.

"…I'm concerned about Squall," she said unexpectedly, the grin vanishing with her words. It was as if she had been reading the current thoughts on his mind.

He was surprised to hear her mention him, but even still, he knew she had known of his plans in some way as she was closer to Squall than he ever was. "…_Now_ you're concerned?" He cracked a faint grin.

"…I haven't been feeling well, Richard. I needn't stress myself as I have in the past. Wherever our son is…I know—I know he is strong and able to care for himself; therefore, _I needn't stress_ myself out about him," she repeated. "I know he'll be fine…"

"Regardless, you'll have much less to worry about in these coming weeks. I'm confident that Squall will return a stronger, sturdier commander. For now, he has to work through his weakness. I will see to it that he fails completely and on his own. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving."

"Have a good day, dear," Julia whispered from her seat at the table, too weak to stand properly. Richard nodded cordially and then exited the room. She was unsure if he realized her condition had worsened at all. Part of her was scared to know that he couldn't care less about it.

Not before long, he and his personal guards left Deling City in his specially designed traveling jeep. The small base off the outskirts of Deling City became their destination.

Their journey was a short and quiet one, and the lieutenant's men immediately recognized his vehicle upon arrival. A few soldiers ran out to meet the jeep that was now pulling near the base; however, they were stopped by the general's own personal soldiers who were exiting first. They went around to open his door for him and he emerged as stern as ever. He stood to his feet menacingly. The guards looked upon one another and motioned for the one nearest to the camp to run in an alert the lieutenant of the general's abrupt arrival.

Outside the gates, General Caraway looked upon the base and saw the mass of prisoners shackled in their keep. He remained out in the heat, quietly observing the obvious progress Martine had made. The main question running through his mind at the moment was why and how Martine had managed to accumulate so many of the rebels at his base as of now. The general's hands fell down at his sides as he stepped forward into the rocks and dirt of the pathway that would lead him inside. He made his way toward the gates first.

"Good morning, sir," the soldiers standing guard exclaimed concurrently while sporting eager salutes, and then opened the gates for him. He looked ahead, ignoring their greetings altogether. He was quite displeased with Martine's progress and therefore made no efforts to spare a single word to his subordinates. The lieutenant would be the only person receiving his attention and scolding. He made the lieutenant's office his one and only destination.

The pathway into the heart of the base stretched out with the gated camps on both sides of it, both storing a large amount of men shackled men. Just how were they keeping these men alive? Surely the budget was not enough to house so many. Though upon closer observation, it seemed that some of them were starving and yet, none of the men seemed to be dehydrated.

Caraway stepped onto the path and immediately felt the dullness of the stagnant air about the base. The prisoners were very quiet, and were most likely disoriented after having been imprisoned for some time now. Only a handful of the men had noticed the arising activity, possibly because of the sounds of the gates' sharpness resounding in the air. Majority were still unaware of his arrival. It would make no difference whether they noticed him or not, as their fate would remain the same. He would make certain that Martine implemented his order thoroughly.

The general's stride along the pathway was prideful, his head was held high. There was no time for small chatter, and nothing could interfere with his pace. Everyone standing around him, behind him, and around him was completely beneath him. He wanted them to laud him, soldiers and prisoners alike. He would epitomize true strength, power, and mercilessness in war.

General Caraway had about several more yards left before he would be out of their sight, and now the men were silently alerting one another about his presence.

The soldiers standing guard, both true soldiers and converts, made themselves present in numbers along the lines of the tents following the prisoner's gates. Paving the way to the lieutenant's tent with their weapons resting at their sides, the soldiers executed consecutive salutes as the general continued his prideful march. However, these men knew the whole truth about the men being held in captivity, and if any of those said prisoners spoke out of line, they had been given specific orders to fire upon that person relentlessly. They relaxed the moment he was out of the prisoner's sights.

Ahead, Lieutenant Martine emerged from his makeshift office to meet the general. The soldiers relaxed their salutes when the two men met in the center of the path. Caraway immediately noticed that the lieutenant was unusually ecstatic.

"Good to see you, General. I was expecting you to make your presence here sooner or later."

"Is that to say you were expecting to fail? I shouldn't have to make _any_ trip here."

"Indeed it seems that way, but in truth, our battles have become very complicated recently," Martine said.

"I know all about it," Richard took a breath and continued. "You were supposed to provide backup to the soldiers in Timber, not return their bodies to me."

"It was all I was able to do, sir. Between the time we had received word of the attack and once my men arrived there, the city had already been blockaded off. Our soldiers' bodies were left laying out for us to pick up and return to Deling City. It was the most we could do."

"You didn't join them in the field?"

"I was there for a short while, but my men lacked the appropriate numbers to storm the front seeing as I would also need this base guarded at all times. You saw them at the front gate. Those are the rebel soldiers. I was wrong in believing that we had captured most of their soldiers here. It seems they have rejuvenated the numbers and are growing stronger as we speak. It might be any day now that they'll return to square off against my men and me. As you said before, I should not make a move without your approval, and so I've waited for it. Although I've failed to provide the appropriate backup to the fallen men in Timber, I have provided the means to run this makeshift prison."

"You await my orders?" The general asked briskly and sarcastically. He had then turned his back to Martine and strode toward the beginning of the lines where the prisoner's gate came into view again. Some of the men sat on the ground with their backs pressed against the gates, hearing the voices of the two superiors above the stillness surrounding them. Martine approached the general, but remained behind him as he continued to speak.

"…I don't know why you insist on holding them captive when they clearly have no regard for the lives of my men; therefore, kill all of them here. That should free up your men to provide backup for the upcoming fleet."

"…Upcoming fleet, sir?" Martine pretended to be surprised about the new threat, as he had already learned from his unspeakable sources.

"Yes. While you were here playing prison, my men have been fighting a war. I intend to end it once and for all, and I'll end Timber along with it. I suggest you straighten up your act if you would like to keep your job as a lieutenant in _my_ army. I have no problem ordering you to mop floors at the D District Prison. Do you understand?" the general asked him, while folding his arms behind his back and glancing behind at Martine, who was now sporting an amused grin.

"Yes, sir," the younger officer answered, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Good," the general nodded while facing him completely. "I expect to see these rebels in the land of the dead upon my next visit."

Martine motioned his hand upward as if to ask permission to speak, "Will you be deploying more troops here, sir?"

"The commander's men should have been plenty."

"…Understood, sir. I'll make do with the general's plenteous generosity," the lieutenant's voice carried on a certain sarcastic tone which caused the general to lift an eyebrow momentarily.

"Indeed," General Caraway responded as he turned away from Martine, who walked behind him along with his personal guards. With their conversation having finally reached its conclusion, the general made his way back to the outer areas where his vehicle was located. This time, the prisoners were alert and waiting for him. The guards followed after the general and lieutenant, merely steps behind to remind the prisoners to keep their mouths shut. The men in captivity received glares on both sides of the camp. The soldiers dared them to make a sound or they would fire, some reminded them by silently lifting up their weapons.

At General Caraway's last step out of the gates, someone braved the stakes.

"Ge-General!" It took one person to break the floodgates of screams. All at once the men screamed together, calling out to their general for help. Their combined efforts forced the guards to aim the noses of their guns to the sky and fire rounds at the sun.

The general stopped dead in his tracks.

The moment he looked back at them, all the noises, the shouting and the shooting from both sides of the gates, ceased simultaneously. The guards lowered their weapons and stood at attention, awaiting his words.

"…You sound like children!" General Caraway spat. "You should have ended your ways before they ended you. This is a _war_! Expect to be put to death today by the lieutenant of this base and accept your fate like the fighters you claim to be! That is all."

There was silence at the conclusion of his orders. The general was led to his vehicle and out of their sight. Some of them whimpered out of disbelief. Others stared off in a daze of confusion. After a few moments, the vehicle pulled away and was now on the road back to Deling City. General Caraway had unknowingly sentenced his own soldiers to death.

Lieutenant Martine watched the jeep until it was completely out of sight. With Caraway's absence, a waft of wind poured into the base and comforted the lost souls held in captivity. Martine smiled and took a deep breath while pacing back and forth in the center of the pathway between the gates. Finally he made the men into his audience, addressing them all around as he stood center stage to them.

"I am conflicted by this just as each of you are," Martine began at first. "Notice that our general does not hesitate to put everyone here to death. As you heard from his very mouth, I have been ordered to take your lives. Normally, I am quite diligent in executing the general's orders effectively…however…."

Martine thickened his smirk as he waved his hand into the air, "I am prepared to give you all one more chance if you would just hear. Me. Out…"

Zone, who had been standing as a guard without a gun within the camp, had heard and seen everything. He listened intently to Martine's words, eyebrows wrinkling with confusion at the revelation of the lieutenant's intentions. His stomach began to rumble in a mad fury.

Meanwhile, the general made one more stop before returning home to his mansion in Deling City in the afternoon. He would leave the contents of the second visit at its undisclosed location. For now, he wanted nothing more than to overlook his board game one more time. All the pieces were now in place after having been updated recently; however, there was one piece in particular that stood out among the others: the queen. She seemed rather anxious in her small space, readying to make a move that would shatter a certain stronghold. This woman knew more than she was willing to share with her precious pawns.

Richard immediately left his quarters and headed toward his wife's dayroom. He knocked at first, but the hollow sound of his knock reverberated throughout the walls behind him. The man reached and grabbed the doorknob. He turned it slightly until it opened up all the way. He was surprised to find her room empty, much like Squall's room one week ago.

He took a step inside and searched the vast room with his eyes only, carefully observing every detail and still finding no one.

"Mr. Caraway, sir," the voice of a younger room attendant crept up behind him in the hall. He turned around abruptly.

"What, what is it and where is my wife?" He spoke hastily, rather surprised at her intrusion and his wife's mysterious absence. He could always find her in the dayroom at this time of the afternoon.

"She's no longer here, sir. Your wife has left the premises," the young woman said, and then walked around him to enter the room. Walking across the dayroom's carpeted floor, she made her way toward the table that was adjacent to the window where Julia had left a clean set of dishes after a brief meal. The girl faced him and motioned her hands toward the table. "When I came in earlier, I noticed she left a letter here for you."

"Bring it to me," he insisted, lifting his hand. The girl nodded her head and whisked the letter away from the plate, then made her way toward the general. She handed it to him quickly. Her soft blond strands encased her emerald eyes. Innocently, she locked eyes with him while handing off the letter, fluttering and flushing red with nervousness.

Richard claimed the sealed letter for himself, his face usurped with concern, "Thank you. Please leave me alone."

"Yes, sir," the young maiden said as she left him to his privacy. She turned her back to the door and exited backward while grabbing the handles and pulling them in to close the door of the room. Richard took a deep breath and unlocked the seal to the letter.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon out in the fields of Timber when Squall had relieved his class of their training. All week long they had endured vigorous training from the young man, who at first, everyone assumed would be a lightweight in his lessons. They were wrong very mistaken. Squall started at the basics on the first day, breaking the men and some women down with exercises that would help to strengthen their bodies while incorporating fighting skills. His lessons ranged from hand to hand combat, to using a melee weapon, and then he moved on to perfecting their aim and shooting skills with precision. Usually, they practiced drills and attack methods from sun up to sun down. With uncertainty about the general's advance, he wanted to cover as many tactics as seemingly possible in the short amount of time they were blessed with for now.

The fighters in his class showed determination and by the end of the week had made drastic progress. Even those joining later who had had some training in their lives prior to their rebellious acts were able to make noticeable improvement in their all around performance; however, there were some who had never had a lick of training before this time, but showed some signs of great skill and potential. Among them was Rinoa, or the girl in the owl mask, as he tried to remember to address her in public. She had still chosen to wear her mask, as had a few others while in training and had only joined in the middle of the week after her arm showed some signs of improvement. He still hadn't pushed her as hard as the others knowing how her arm had been injured prior to.

Rinoa claimed that the pains were gone, but he knew a sprang wrist or ankle would take about roughly four to six days to heal back to normal, unless it was a severe sprang. However, she was a lot tougher than he previously thought, and he was surprised she hadn't mentioned the level of intensity of the injury. Instead, she pushed herself to learn defensive moves as well as how to operate a rifle properly. By the end of the week, or today, Squall had decided to give them a half day of training. Their homework was to get plenty of rest and practice some of the drills on their own time.

He wanted to be certain the men and women hadn't tired themselves out. He knew the importance of rest in between training and working around the city. Also, giving them the appropriate amount of time to rest would help them to incorporate those skills into their everyday lives and tasks about Timber. Doing so, they would notice the improvement for themselves and then start to look forward to learning more or possibly all that he could teach them in their short classes together.

After Squall had relieved his class, he watched them heading back into the town through its large gates. The sky was just beginning to change into its orange, evening glow and the wind had began to pick up its pace. With his shirt all sweated out, he welcomed the fresh breeze. It was one of those times where he wanted to remove the mask, but couldn't do so because everyone was still visible. Looking back however, he noticed one other person had remained nearby with, probably, the same idea. It was the girl in the owl mask and she was running toward him now.

Squall took a deep breath. By now, their speaking had become a regular thing.

"Hey!" she said, obviously smiling beneath the mask. "I just wanted to say that that was a great session today! You were really incredible out here!"

"Thank you," Squall answered shyly. He was used to people complimenting his skills, but there was something about receiving a compliment from this girl in particular that made him feel unlike himself. He felt jittery. "Um, you did really well, also," the boy responded, clearly embarrassed about her approach. She found it strange and adorable that he seemed to be two different people at times. When his mind was focused on instructing and helping others, he was very stern and concise, but talking to him afterward, she found he was a bit less of a soldier and more human.

"Thanks," the girl muttered as her eyes fell toward the ground. "I know I need to work on my formation, but I'm doing my best. I'm getting stronger, especially when it comes to carrying all this equipment. See? Two days ago, I couldn't even lift it!" She said while motioning to the unloaded automatic rifle at her side, and then briefly picked it up from the ground. Her eyes returned to his ecstatically, "I don't know how you guys do it. It's still awfully heavy."

"…Well, there _are_ other things you can do in a battle. You don't necessarily have to fight," he said while placing a hand on his waist.

"Oh, I know! Sorry, I didn't mean to complain. It's just that I really admire your dedication…" she answered and then looked away from him shyly. Rinoa rested her words and took a soft breath beneath her mask, and then lifted her eyes only to lock with his again. "I respect you…and what you do, or did…" she swallowed a nervous lump and tried to continue, "Um, well, I should be going then. I just wanted you to know that my arm is feeling a lot better now, and I'm looking forward to our future lessons!"

"I'm glad to hear that and so am I," he stated firmly, their eyes still locked together. "You still have to take it easy and let it heal completely."

"...Of course!" the girl giggled. "But I can't sit still while everyone else has fun doing this every day."

Squall laughed too. It was hard to imagine anything being considered as fun in their current situation. One would have to be completely naïve in order to find fun in the weeks or months before any battle. Still, maybe her occasional spastic naivety was why he found a friend in her. For some reason, she seemed to bring out the kid in him, just like his mother. Staring into her brown eyes, he wondered why he constantly found peace within them.

A moment of silence went by between them, but was then engulfed by the sound of the wind whistling through the blades of grass surrounding them.

Rinoa upturned her face to the vast sky, noticing how fast the clouds had been travelling. The sun was not bright enough to hurt her pupils, but it was still that pleasant soft orange that she loved. It was easy to find shelter inside the puffy and pink clouds above. Before she knew it, Rinoa was walking forward, sidestepping around the young man in the wolf mask. She tried to take in as much of nature that surrounded her as she could. Flirting with the freedom of having vast plains beneath her feet, Rinoa tugged the rifle strap around her shoulder and pressed onward.

"Hey," Squall said immediately, trying to bring her back to reality. "Where are you—"

"Shh!"Rinoa snapped her head around while planting a pointer finger upon her lips. "I just wanna see something!"

The boy looked back at Timber, at the people who were gathering the last of their equipment and carrying it into the city. The last of his class had entered into the gates. No one looked back for him. No one called out for her. He figured they had assumed he had already made his way back, along with her. Even so, no one really looked for him if only to ask about a particular move or about the upcoming difficulties they were possibly facing such as the enemy's defenses. He usually stayed to himself anyway unless provoked by her. That was, if they had actually managed to sneak in a couple of words to each other throughout the week during the hours his class was not meeting up outside of town.

Regardless of what it was she wanted to see, reality was ever present on his mind and this was not a good idea.

"You know we shouldn't be out here now," Squall had said in an attempt to change her mind as he looked back only to find that she had already taken off into the wilderness.

"I'll be quick!" She answered him in a mad dash toward freedom and pure bliss.

_Oh, great…_ Squall thought within while debating whether or not he should follower her. He opted to do the same. Besides, someone had to make sure she was going to return safely. "Dammit…" He sighed, and then took off behind her.

Rinoa sprinted ahead of him; of course, she might have been able to go faster if not for carrying all the equipment and even wearing the mask. Squall, however, had grown accustomed to his mask. He was already used to wearing the sheathed gunblade at his waist, and had seen many a battle while wearing it. Before, the mask was the only problem he faced. Now, he was able to maneuver as if wearing nothing. It was probably a good thing, too. He would still need to wear it for as long as his mission was in progress, but he was growing to enjoy being called "Wolf." Consequently, he was losing himself behind it, but then again, maybe he wanted to lose himself behind it. He could pretend that his past never happened. Would they ever accept him knowing the whole truth anyway?

He had once taken the lives of her fellow citizens, but now, here he was, actually enjoying the company of one the rebels who hated and plotted against his father.

He had finally caught up to speed with her, but the masked teens continued to run together in the plains. What started out as a simple chase became a friendly fare race. Squall could not help the huge smile on his face as he ran beside her, occasionally spotting her looking at him with a competitive sparkle in her eyes. She gripped the straps on the rifle tightly and increased her speed, but Squall placed a hand on the handle of his gunblade and ran faster as well. She would not get the best of him. Rinoa changed directions suddenly like a wildfire in the wind, running wildly in the fields.

They were surrounded by the green fields and the occasional Timber oak tree. The grass swayed in the wind, being carried like waves in the sea. It seemed they were running through green, wavy water. Their running was liberating, childlike and free. In some truth, they were still kids even after having endured the hardship in their lives. Both needed an outlet, another person to extend their concerns to, likewise, they needed someone stronger to restore that balance in their lives; otherwise, they would both be caught up in the vanities of worrying.

Suddenly Rinoa slowed her pace as she remembered that a cliff overseeing the ocean was nearby. Squall slowed down to a stop just a few feet behind her as she came to a complete stop also. Rinoa crashed to her knees some yards away from the cliff. She was out of breath and lied down in the grass to rest her body. Squall watched her for a moment, smiling at her innocence. It took him a few moments to realize they were very close to the cliff side. Beyond them was a large body of water, glistening beneath the orange sun. The ocean's waves twinkled like diamonds in the sunlight. Some of the clouds hang low in the air. The sky was just as vast as the ocean in its epic measures and breathtaking to witness. He took light steps toward it, feeling totally insignificant against nature's sheer epic proportions.

It wasn't a view he'd seen too often, if he had ever saw it at all. It was beautiful.

Rinoa dropped her weapon at her side and folded her legs inward. The grass was nice and soft, and easy to find a comfortable seat upon. Her eyes were fixated on this scenery just as much as his. She took a deep breath, taking it all in and closed her eyes to the sound of the water in the distance. It was so peaceful and soothing. It was exactly what she needed to calm her mind down about the recent events, and the people she worried about.

"Isn't it amazing?" she whispered, opening her eyes and looking over at him. Squall approached her side slowly and took a seat beside her at her left.

"Sure is," he answered softly.

They stared forward into the distant sun, taking in the peaceful view.

"…I just wanted to see it again," she began. "I used to come out here with my parents a long time ago. We'd sit down on a blanket out here on days like this. It was nice. We would come out to each lunch that my mom prepared and my dad would tell me stories about how things were when he was a kid. He even told me about how life was in Deling City. But sometimes…sometimes they got so quiet when they were together," the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below them carried on behind her words. "…And other times, it seemed like they were looking for something…or waiting…waiting for someone."

Squall listened intently.

"…Till this day, they don't really talk much about some of their past," she faced him again. "…It makes me wonder about what happened… and also about what they've been through. They know so much about Deling City…"

"…Maybe you should ask them?" He inquired calmly.

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think I have the courage to do that," she answered softly.

He couldn't argue with her. Sometimes even when speaking with his own parents, he often choked up on his words. Only recently did he find the courage to actually take a stand against his father. Before then, he found it difficult to even disagree with the man or speak his mind with ease.

"I'm sorry," Rinoa said finally. "…I hope I don't get you into trouble for being out here."

"I'm not worried about that, but I know they'll start to worry about you."

"Yeah, you're right," she nodded her head. Rinoa rested her hand in the cool grass, allowing the blades to slip between her fingers. Squall looked up at the sky and became lost in its vastness. Sure the others might start to worry about their prolonged absence and they might catch hell for returning so late evening, but it didn't mean they couldn't enjoy it while they were out in the natural, ungoverned wind for now. Why not take advantage of the moment?

He fell on his back almost immediately and rested his hands on his chest. He knew they would have to leave soon, but somehow wanted to live in the moment for the time being. He wouldn't push for them to go just yet, and would not speak a word on it unless she said so. She was such a bad influence on him.

Rinoa watched him and smiled. She had silently reached the same conclusion and decided to enjoy their time away from the prison that was Timber.

Who was this man in the wolf mask and why did she find peace in her heart when spending time with him? There was something very peculiar about him. Aside from the much obvious mysteriousness of his face, she was curious about life, the parts of his life that he was not allowed to share. He may have very well been dangerous behind those easy, steel tinted eyes. Even so, as much as they endured some minor spouts together, she genuinely enjoyed his company as well.

Squall lost himself in the moment. He hadn't felt this free in a long time. Though the city of Timber was in dire need of its independence, he also needed his own independence once in a while. He was prepared to take the full blame for their actions tonight, as it was a much needed escape on both parts. He would be free to make that choice. He probably had a lot more freedom now than ever at any point of time in his life. Even living in Deling City where he had been born privileged and into the general's family, he was forced to do what was right in his father's eyes and was given the appropriate discipline that would help him to become a great general as well. He was raised to be the general and was also trained to be the general. He wondered, albeit briefly, about what his life would be if he decided not to follow in his father's footsteps and not become the next general of Galbadia.

"…What about your family?" Rinoa asked suddenly, as if reading the thoughts of his mind.

"…I," he sighed heavily. "I can't talk about them."

Of course, once reality set in of his present circumstance, he realized he wasn't entirely free after all. He still had to abide by their rules for now; at least, until the standoff against the galbadian military was settled.

"That's right," she understood, knowing that he had been sworn in and allowed to keep his identity a secret. "I shouldn't have asked you that… Sorry."

"It's okay," he knew she was sincere about questioning him and also genuine in her apology for it. "…If things were different, I would tell you."

"_When_ things are different, you still can!" She smiled, looking over at him, her eyes shining brightly beneath the mask. He tried to imagine her face behind it, in its youthful presence. She had to have been around his age. The sound of her voice told him that much.

"Yeah," he agreed slowly.

Rinoa lied down beside him and looked up into the sky as well. There were humungous clouds hovering above them, all puffy, and some white and pink. Some clouds were becoming orange with the sun. The wind sent the fibers of their clothing, and the furs of their masks, billowing about their faces. He heard her giggling at first, and when he faced her, she touched the nose of his mask with her fingertips, pointing out that his mask looked like a real wild wolf caught in the wind. Squall made an open mouthed grin that was revealed by the lower mouth opening of his mask.

"You have a cute smile," the girl commented softly, immediately.

"Huh," he closed his mouth straightaway, cheeks blushing red.

"No, don't hide it!" she laughed out loud, sliding her hand down to his chin. "…It's really cute, that's all."

After a moment of struggling to accept the compliment, the grin returned, though a closed grin. She was happy to see him relaxing now. The girl moved her hand from his chin and brought her eyes back to the sky.

She made him feel relaxed and tranquil. He wanted to forget about everything happening around them and concerning them. They were alone now and free from everyone. If there was nothing he was allowed to share with her, what would be the harm in answering at least one of her inquiries, even if she hadn't asked about it?

Squall sat up from the ground and closed his eyes. His mind was made up.

All Rinoa could see was his back. She saw his arms reaching up and toward the back of his mask. He slid his fingers beneath it, toggling around for a bit before finding the appropriate snaps and unbuckling it. Her heart was pounding. What was he doing?

Finally, after the brief struggle, the girl was surprised to find him sliding the mask from his head. Wild and unruly russet hair emerged from the mask as he shook his head and allowed his hair to fall loosely from its smashed down position. It had been forever crushed by the weight of the mask all throughout the day. Some strands were longer than others, but the very back of his hair was cut short. The loose strands were caught within the breeze, ungoverned as the wind. Dark brown and almost red in the sunlight, Rinoa smiled at his unique hair color. This guy, whoever he was, had a great head of hair she thought. Strangely enough, his hair color took on almost the same shade as her mother's hair.

He took a deep breath as he rested the mask in his lap while opening his eyes. Squall had then narrowed them at the glistening ocean ahead and concluded himself out of his mind. Showing his face would compromise all of his progress and would most likely complicate everything between them from now on. He hadn't exactly looked at her, but could tell she was getting to her knees now and preparing for a frontal observation. As much as he had exercised discipline and control in his time becoming a soldier in the military, it seemed he could not escape these sudden impulses to simply share himself with her. What was happening to him? He was having a hard time controlling his behavior.

"I _knew_ you were good looking!" Rinoa smiled. Her voice lacked the muffled sound that usually occurred due to the mask covering her face.

"Rin!?" He snapped his head toward her and was surprised to find that she too had completely removed her mask as well. The sun captured the smoothness of her peach toned skin. Her eye brows were sharp, just as his, and helped to define her feminine features even more. Her lips were cherry pink and perky, and smiling. She already had gorgeous brown eyes, but seeing the entirety of her face just made them ten times more amazing, "…Wow," he uttered, just barely audible. "You…You're…"

"So are you," the girl giggled, assuming she knew what he was going to say.

Squall took a deep breath and allowed himself to smile finally. He released a shaky laugh too, finding his inability to speak funny as well. It was a great relief to see each other's faces. The mystery had finally been revealed; however…

However, the longer they stared at one another, the more something became apparent. They seemed vaguely familiar. Squall knew right away who she resembled; although, saying it out loud probably wasn't a good idea at all. There would be nothing more awkward than telling a girl whom he had a crush on that she looked like and reminded him of his mother. Likewise, Rinoa felt the same way. Would it make him feel less of a male if she had insisted that he looked a lot like her mother? These were the vain thoughts of teenagers.

Though their thoughts were present, the two decided not to mention it. Concern grew in their faces. They were no longer smiling at one another. Now, they wondered why it was so. Instead of feeling glad about having seen each other's faces, both had somewhat regretted it. It brought along nothing but more questions, questions that they would not be able to expose to one another nor to anyone else, questions that might hold terrifying answers. Squall looked down at his mask and stared into the cutout eyes of the wolf. It saw right through him and his dwindling bravery. It was empty. It saw nothing but a lost and curious boy trying desperately to hold dearly to his righteous beliefs spoon fed to him by a woman who called himself her mother. What was he really hiding from, but more importantly, who?

Rinoa brought her hand down onto his mask and slipped her fingers through the fibers of fur at its top, petting it as if the animal was real. She grinned amicably and then looked up at him. Nervously, he lifted his eyes to meet hers again. When he saw her face and the peacefulness encased with her smile, the boy relaxed and reached his hand over to touch her chin.

Squall slid his fingertips to the entirety of her right cheek, staring into her eyes. The girl covered his hand with hers, and blinked softly, enjoying the feeling of his gloved hand pressed against her skin.

Regardless of what her face looked like, she was not his mother. Rinoa had told herself the same thing.

When the girl opened her eyes, he had dropped his hand from her face and taken a deep breath. He looked down the mask and then slipped it back on. Rinoa followed his lead.

"…Well," he said while fastening the buckle in place and clearing his throat. "…I guess we should head back."

"Yeah," she agreed, and then took a deep breath too.

He stood to his feet first and then helped her from the ground. Before he could let go of her hand, however, Rinoa squeezed it and moved closely against him. He hadn't actually been this close to her in a while, save for the night she hugged him, which had been the same night they had met for the first time and briefly when they had been reunited. He never thought he'd be this close to her again.

"Can you promise me something?" Rinoa spoke softly. The boy lifted an eyebrow first as she proceeded, "…Can we do this more often?"

"…Rin…"

"Well, at least _once_ more!"

He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her in closely with a smile. "…Okay," the boy answered.

"…And one more thing?"

"Shoot for it…" He said confidently.

"…After everything is said and done," she whispered, "…will you tell me your name?"

Squall squeezed her torso gently in his arms, and lowered his face close to her shoulder so that his voice would be hot against her neck, "…Naturally."

Rinoa immediately closed her eyes and wrapped her arms up and around his waist. She wished she had waited to put her mask back on. Though even wearing it, she felt the hardness of his chest and his warmness through it all. He smelled good also.

Although the walk back to Timber was a short one, the sky had grown darker. They had spent too much time away. The two stopped out in the plains and looked at one another one more time before Squall smirked and waved a hand in the air, "…I think you should go first. Everyone would be less suspicious about us if we're not together."

"…Yeah," she grinned. "…The last thing I wanna do is upset my dad."

"Get going then, I'll see you around."

"Mhmm!" she smiled and then waved while taking steps backward. "Bye, Fox!"

"Wolf…"

"It doesn't matter, they're both adorable!"

He slapped his forehead and looked away with a soft chuckle. Squall eventually returned his eyes to her and waved her off.

"Seeya!" The girl waved back and then turned around all the way. She ran toward the town gates.

Squall remained in place beneath the tree they had stopped at. He would allow her time to get in and settled before making his appearance. Usually, he would go straight to his room after the training session or go out to get lunch from the nearby café, which was still up and running _without_ any galbadian soldiers to spoil any meals. Either way, he didn't mingle much with the others, save for his trainees or Kiros. He hardly ever spoke with Nechku unless someone had thought of an urgent question for him to answer.

He had done his best to remember all the types of weaponry that the newly improved army would be using against them, and had also spent a great deal of his time conjuring up ideas about how to counter their attacks. He realized that during the week, the people had been making trips to the nearby factory for supplies. Some of the materials there could be used for rebuilding. Squall had even shared his idea about reinforcing the walls surrounding the city to withstand some possible vigorous attacks from the military, and they would start to incorporate that idea any day now.

Timber was filled with hardworking and innovative people. He wondered how his father could ever pass such a horrible judgment about them being unintelligent wastes of life. Even the thought of his father branding them with such words offended him.

It especially offended him now because he was falling in love with one of them.

_Falling in love…?_ The brunet repeated within.

He shook his head to rid the thoughts from his mind as if that would work. It was time to push the fairytale to the side. He was already treading dangerous water by extending his friendship with her. Now after having showed her his face, would she forgive him if she knew his true identity? He was the son of the man whom she had openly admitted to wanting to see punished for his crimes against her countrymen. On the other hand, the men at the farm all knew what he had looked like, so it really didn't make too much of a difference whether she'd seen his face or not. Still, why was she so familiar, at least, why was her face so familiar?

Squall yawned a bit. Enough time had passed by. Rinoa should have made it in without finding too much trouble. He walked forward toward the gates. Hopefully no one had noticed either of their absences or reentries.

Just as he stepped through the gates that were still guarded by a few of the faction members who had been chatting amongst themselves, the man in the wolverine mask met him at its front.

_Kiros?! If he's here then that could only mean that…_

Kiros motioned for him to join him and the two had then walked together in the dark. In the streets, the others busied assembling the newly acquired materials to be used for the reinforced wall. No one bothered to repair the buildings that had suffered attack and destruction due to Galbadia's attacks. It was sure sign of a great defense. They would not bother to rebuild until the main threat was eliminated, or at the least, warned to keep a safe distance away from Timber. It was enough progress for Squall. In the meantime, he wondered why Kiros needed to speak with him now. Had he and Rinoa been found out? The masked brunet remained calm and collected.

"…We're expecting some hostility any day now and not from the fleet that you warned us about," Kiros admitted finally, coming to a stop when they neared the police station.

"Some hostility…?" Squall's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "What _other_ hostility?"

The man in maroon pointed ahead at the police station, "The warden's been mouthing off about the buses that he had requested… We're not sure what to expect when they get here, but we expect to find them heavily armored and carrying some fighter troops along for the ride. We're not sure how many, but their intentions were to arrive and pick up all the suspected rebels being kept in jail earlier this week. The trip would probably take them a few days to reach us, but may have been even slower for the buses. Regardless, we expect them to be ready for a battle when they arrive and that time should be soon."

"…Okay," Squall nodded at first. "What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing major," Kiros shook his head. "There's no use in risking your life on something like this if you don't want to, but I think it'd be a great warm up for your men, namely your snipers. What do you say? Can you assist us?"

"...Sure," the boy shrugged his shoulders. "My troops are ready for anything."

He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly had renewed strength and hope in his position. Maybe he had been experiencing some of the remnant high of his well spent evening with Rinoa, but he was in no way of knowing the unseen threat that would arrive with the hostile D-District prison armored units.

* * *

_**Author's little Notepad**_

* * *

_Hey, everyone! Glad to be back to this story! I'll be working on the next set of chapters for this story as well as updating DollFace, soon. Between work, coffee, and some of my spare time, I'm on a roll and I'm not quitting. I love each of my stories that are in progress at the moment, and I'm writing every minute that I can. I'm sorry if my responses aren't punctual, but I'll respond to every question or comment you might have. _

_I was a little nervous about having them see each other's faces, but then again, I'm glad it happened. I felt a little bittersweet while writing that scene, though I guess that's necessary at this point in the story. Don't worry! I'm sure everything will smooth out eventually. I don't want to put a timer on this story, but things will really start to cook up in the next chapter. Thanks, everyone, for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter of Fate,Wild. Please let me know what you think of it all, and thanks again._

_Ray _


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